With the faculty union of California State University preparing to take its first-ever strike vote in the next few weeks, a prominent state lawmaker is stepping up his scrutiny of the system’s administration.

Anthony Portantino, a Democrat who is chairman of the Higher Education Committee in the California Assembly, introduced legislation today that calls for “immediate reforms related to excess compensation” of system administrators and presses for better communication between the university’s governing board and legislators.

The faculty association, which has clashed with the university over salary levels in stalled contract renegotiations, has blasted the pay and perquisites received by university administrators and has sued to challenge the hiring of a former system chancellor as a professor.

Mr. Portantino has also been joined by other state lawmakers in requesting a comprehensive audit of the system’s compensation and hiring practices, The Sacramento Bee reported. System officials have said they would welcome such an audit, arguing that administrators are underpaid, as compared to their peers at other universities.