Free, Grassroots California College Tuition?

One of my blog readers turned me on to this petition being circulated now until June.

Check out this proposed constitutional amendment, researched and written a year ago as part of a senior class project at Life Academy and Oakland Unity High School, that would make state university tuition-free for full-time, in-state students who maintain a 2.7 GPA or perform 70 hours of community service each year.

Californians who earn more than $250,000 a year in taxable income would subsidize this additional cost through higher income taxes.

The chances of the effort becoming more than a lesson in democracy, however, are slim at best.

"There has not, in the modern era, been a true grass-roots initiative that has made it to the ballot," said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego.

You can read more about it here.

And here is a direct link to the petition. Free Tuition, Sign the Petition!

I now have an 18-year-old registered voter in the family. Perhaps he'll sign it, too.

Has anyone heard anything about this and if so, please leave a comment.