<p>You don’t have to raise taxes. In which case, eventually, you won’t have a world-class university system. Maybe a couple world class public universities (read Cal and UCLA) but not an entire system. In which case, you’d be like many other states. If it’s really up to voters to decide whether to raise taxes for their schools, then the people will decide. It’s as simple as that. The top faculty at schools like Santa Barbara or Irvine or Davis might eventually be bought out by privates or more financially stable publics elsewhere. Will California suffer as a result? That remains to be seen. I myself wouldn’t want to see the UCs suffer because I myself think the state will suffer along with it. But that may not be the decision of voters at large.</p>