Organizers of today's rally at the state Capitol are expecting about 2,000 people to turn out to demonstrate support for public education and protest budget cuts, layoffs and university fee increases.

Busloads of college students and professors are coming from San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Berkeley and Chico to attend a midday rally on the north steps of the Capitol. It's one of hundreds of events around the country that will make up today's "day of action" designed to draw attention to the impact state budget cuts are having on public education.

A demonstration also is planned at UC Davis, where tensions among students are already running high because of an unrelated spate of provocative incidents. On Wednesday morning, university police discovered swastikas spray-painted on three spots around campus. The week before, a swastika was carved into the dormitory door of a Jewish student, and the campus center for gay and lesbian students was vandalized with offensive graffiti.

"It's so disheartening to see (this) in a place...