More than 1,000 people from across California, including UC students, gathered at the steps of the state capitol in Sacramento to protest the state’s proposed student fee increases that would accompany the state’s proposed budget cuts.

Students and administrators from the UC system, the CSU system and community college system marched up to the capitol building carrying signs and chanting slogans to demonstrate against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed 10 percent cuts to all state agencies.

While Schwarzenegger proposed the cuts in order to offset the state’s projected $16 billion deficit, the UC system would be cut a net total of $109 million under his proposed budget, resulting in a budget that is $417.4 million less than the university had requested of the state.

The protest featured a variety of speakers, including state Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, and ASUC External Affairs Vice President Danny Montes.

About 15 UC Berkeley students attended the protest.

Montes said fee hikes would have detrimental effects on many aspects of students’ lives.

“People are going to think about how to pay for rent, how to pay for textbooks, how to pay for the necessities that you need to go to college,” Montes said. “People shouldn’t have to leave higher education with debt, but unfortunately that is the case for a lot of students.”