Testimonies of:
Aissa Canchola Bañez, Protect Borrowers
Professor Dalié Jiménez, UC Irvine School of Law and Student Loan Law Initiative
Associate Professor Charlie Eaton, UC Merced and the Higher Education, Race, and the Economy (HERE) Lab
Samantha Seng, NextGen California
Before the California Little Hoover Commission
“Student Institutional Debt in California”
March 26, 2026
On March 26, the Little Hoover Commission held its first ever hearing on institutional debt across California. The hearing was in response to a request submitted by Assemblywoman Pacheco and the Campaign for California Borrower Rights, and will inform the Commission’s report on institutional debt and policy recommendations to the Governor and Legislature.
According to the most recent research on institutional debt, more than 750,000 low-income students owe more than $390 million in debt to California public colleges. Institutional debt is debt a student or former student owes to a college or university. These debts can be disastrous: colleges can prevent students from obtaining their hard earned diploma, re-enrolling in their courses, and can even refer students to private collections and tax refund offset.
Testimony of Aissa Canchola Bañez, Policy Director, Protect Borrowers: See Here
Testimony of Dalié Jiménez, Professor of Law at University of California Irvine School of Law and Director of the Student Loan Law Initiative: See Here
Testimony of Charlie Eaton, Associate Professor of Sociology at University of California, Merced, and Co-Founder of the Higher Education, Race, and the Economy (HERE) Lab: See Here
Testimony of Samantha Seng, Legislative Director & Policy Advisor at NextGen California: See Here
Protect Borrowers press release on Little Hoover Commission hearing: See Here