When Ronald Reagan was elected Governor in 1966, he promised to “clean up the mess in Berkeley,” voicing strong opposition to events like the 1964 Free Speech Movement. Reagan quickly proposed 10% cuts to the UC and CSU budgets, while UC proposed a 15% increase to address significant growth. Reagan also proposed tuition and fee increases. He and the Regents then dismissed popular UC President Clark Kerr on January 20, 1967. Three days later, 1500 UCI students and faculty participated in a rally in Gateway Plaza to protest the firing, the proposed budget cuts and fee increases. This was the first documented case of collective political action on the UCI campus.