>By "state and city colleges," you mean public institutions outside
>the UC system? (I realize
>the distinction you're drawing might be obvious to Californians, but it
>isn't to me!)
It's from a master plan implemented in 1960 when Jerry Brown's dad was governor. Not only were there a lot of great profs in the UC system, but a lot of their students went on to teach in the state system. It was a splendid thing for many years:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Master_Plan_for_Higher_Education
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_University
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Community_College
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California