Potential New Construction in Westwood

From the Daily Bruin: A California law that took effect Wednesday could bring more high-density housing to Westwood by loosening development restrictions around major transit stops. California Senate Bill 79, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, overrides local zoning rules for residential, mixed, or commercial properties to allow for high-density residential development near transit stations. The law identifies different transit stops across the state – either labeled as Tier 1 or Tier 2 – as locations for development...

Tier 1 stops connect to heavy rail transit or very high-frequency commuter rail, and are thus afforded more development rights. Tier 1 developments can reach heights up to 75 feet and densities between 100 and 120 units per acre. Tier 2 stops are served by light rail transit, high-frequency commuter rail, or bus services. Tier 2 projects are allowed heights up to 65 feet and densities ranging from 80 to 100 units per acre. Two Tier 1 transit stations near UCLA, which are part of the LA Metro D Line and are set to open in 2027, qualify under SB 79, according to a June map from the Southern California Association of Governments...

From the Daily Bruin: A California law that took effect Wednesday could bring more high-density housing to Westwood by loosening development restrictions around major transit stops. California Senate Bill 79, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, overrides local zoning rules for residential, mixed, or commercial properties to allow for high-density residential development near transit stations. The law identifies different transit stops across the state – either labeled as Tier 1 or Tier 2 – as locations for development...

Tier 1 stops connect to heavy rail transit or very high-frequency commuter rail, and are thus afforded more development rights. Tier 1 developments can reach heights up to 75 feet and densities between 100 and 120 units per acre. Tier 2 stops are served by light rail transit, high-frequency commuter rail, or bus services. Tier 2 projects are allowed heights up to 65 feet and densities ranging from 80 to 100 units per acre. Two Tier 1 transit stations near UCLA, which are part of the LA Metro D Line and are set to open in 2027, qualify under SB 79, according to a June map from the Southern California Association of Governments...

Full story at https://dailybruin.com/2026/07/04/sb-79-takes-effect-paving-the-way-for-more-high-density-housing-in-westwood.

Straws in the Wind - Part 399

From the Yale Daily News: A report that Yale is seeking to settle with the federal government has drawn an array of calls, including from a Connecticut senator, for the University to resist the most direct political pressure it has yet received during President Donald Trump’s second term. The New York Times reported... that, according to anonymous sources, a Department of Justice investigation that deemed the Yale School of Medicine’s practices discriminatory against white and Asian applicants had expanded to probe undergraduate and law school admissions. The federal inquiry, which came in light of a 2023 Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious admissions, has prompted Yale to propose a settlement with the Trump administration and hire external counsel, according to the report...

Formed last spring, Stand Up For Yale emerged as Yale and its peer institutions navigated increased scrutiny under the second Trump administration. The group encouraged alumni to advocate against the endowment tax hike that ultimately passed last July and which will subject Yale’s endowment returns to an 8 percent tax rate beginning on Wednesday. The hike is estimated to cost the University around $300 million per year. The DOJ investigation marks the most intense individualized pressure that Yale has received amid the second Trump administration’s sweeping pressure campaign against elite institutions. The University has thus far been spared from the targeted funding freezes that have pushed many of its peer institutions to cut deals with the government...

Full story at https://yaledailynews.com/articles/blumenthal-among-alumni-urging-yale-to-resist-amid-reported-trump-talks.

Yale Deal - Part 3

From the Yale Daily News: University President Maurie McInnis has emailed top Yale College Council leaders in response to backlash against reported settlement negotiations between Yale and the Trump administration, YCC President Alex William Chen ’28 told the News on Tuesday. McInnis’ email to Chen and YCC Vice President Michelle Jimenez ’28 marks her first reported response to a series of public campaigns that have mounted after The New York Times reported last month that Yale is negotiating a settlement with the federal government. The negotiations come after the Justice Department expanded its investigation into Yale’s undergraduate and law school admissions, the Times reported. Chen declined to comment on the content of McInnis’ emailed message, citing that he needed to “look through it a little more carefully.”

...The alumni group Stand Up For Yale has created a petition urging McInnis, Provost Scott Strobel and the trustees to publicly commit that Yale will not enter into any deal with the federal government that compromises its diversity or independence. The group sent the administration a copy of the letter on Monday afternoon with about 2,770 signatories, organizer Jessica Marsden ’08 LAW ’14 wrote in an email to the News, but as of Tuesday evening, the group had not received a response. The petition remains open and had reached 3,790 signatures, including current students, as of Tuesday night.

...Yale spokesperson Karen Peart wrote in an email to the News that it is “Yale’s longstanding practice not to discuss the specifics of any ongoing legal matter.” The comment came in response to the News’ inquiry before the phone banking event on Tuesday about the pushback on the reported negotiations. Peart emphasized the University’s “commitment to students’ free expression, academic freedom, and Yale’s ability to determine who is admitted in accordance with the law,” and wrote that Yale is “committed to supporting the members of our community in their beliefs and values.” She did not confirm or deny Yale’s reported negotiations with the Trump administration...

Full story at https://yaledailynews.com/articles/mcinnis-emails-ycc-heads-chen-says-as-reported-trump-talks-face-backlash.

Another Milliken Interview

UC President Milliken did one of his interviews, this time with Yale historian Beverly Gage, on July 9. The rationales for the interview were a) the 250th anniversary of American independence and b) the Yale report on higher education's standing in public opinion that has garnered national attention.

Professor Gage discusses a roadtrip around the USA to visit sites of historical significance (including Disneyland) and the significance of the Yale report. You can find the one-hour conversation at:

https://ia902809.us.archive.org/1/items/newsom-7-1-2026-savings-accounts-for-kids/Milliken-Gage%20interview%207-9-2026.mp4. [Audio with still picture.]

TMT

From time to time, we look at the status of the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) project on Hawaii. UC is involved in the project, along with other institutions. The issue sometimes comes up at public comments during UC Regents meetings. Perhaps it will at the upcoming July meetings. As blog readers will know, the project was stalled by local opposition

From Hawaii News Now: Dozens of people — including tribal leaders, members of Mauna Kea Education and Awareness from Hawaii Island and others — delivered a petition... opposing construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in Palo Alto, California, which had committed $250 million to the project. The group also delivered a copy of a cease-and-desist letter that had been sent to TMT. “Over 500,000 people are here with us today in the spirit of saying no TMT on Maunakea,” Pua Case of Mauna Kea Education and Awareness told Hawaii News Now.

“Should the Thirty Meter Telescope be considered for the Caltech decommissioned site or back to the northern plateau, we are asking them to halt any further funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope and because they’re the largest single donor funder. That’s why we’re here,” Case said...

The petition comes as TMT is looking at another site on Maunakea. TMT’s project manager told the UH [University of Hawaii] Board of Regents last month the project is looking at the site where the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory was decommissioned and removed in 2024. “We have taken a preliminary look of whether we can possibly build TMT on the decommissioned site scientifically, engineering-wise technically and we believe this is very preliminary, of course, and we believe we can,” said Dr. Fengchuan Liu, TMT International Observatory project manager...

Full story at https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/06/27/tmt-opponents-deliver-petition-major-funder-california/.

Straws in the Wind - Part 398

From the Virginia Mercury: Higher education leaders in Virginia and Ohio announced... that they will join forces to create a model for three-year bachelor’s degrees, cutting the traditional timeframe of obtaining the credential by one year. The move reflects Virginia’s strategic plan to better align higher education with student and employer needs and increase affordability. Currently, the laws in Virginia and Ohio require at least 120 semester credit hours to earn a bachelor’s degree. By spring 2028, participating institutions are expected to propose two 90-credit degree programs.

If successful, the 90-credit undergraduate degree would likely require legislative action, depending on how programs are structured. “Virginia’s higher education institutions continue to lead the way in innovation, demonstrating a statewide commitment to ensuring higher education delivers on its value proposition to students and families,” said Scott Fleming, the State Council on Higher Education for Virginia’s executive director... “Colleges and universities throughout the country are already offering three-year degrees, but there is no national model. This effort will create new pathways for students to pursue their life and career goals while ensuring a rigorous education experience,” he added...

Full story at https://virginiamercury.com/briefs/virginia-joins-initiative-to-create-three-year-bachelors-degree-model/.

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From MassLive: Massachusetts students can now earn a bachelor’s degree in just three years, following a... by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. Suffolk University and Merrimack College are the first Massachusetts institutions to receive approval from the state to pilot reduced-credit bachelor’s degree programs. “The focus shouldn’t be on the inputs, the focus should be on the outcomes,” said Board Member Alex Cortez. “What we’re trying to do ultimately is create effective pathways that are options for students to achieve their ambitions and their priorities as they individually define them, not us.”

The board voted 10-2 to approve both programs, with one member abstaining. Suffolk in Boston will offer a 94-credit pilot bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration and Innovation. Merrimack in North Andover will pilot 96-credit bachelor’s degrees in psychology, communication, criminal justice and business administration. Each reduced-credit degree will include general education requirements and fewer elective courses.

Three-year bachelor’s degrees, which typically require around 90 credits instead of the standard 120, remain a subject of debate in higher education. These programs allow students to complete their degree without summer classes. To some higher education leaders, the reduced-credit bachelor’s degree is needed to attract more students as the value of higher education faces scrutiny and sticker prices continue to climb. But others fear it will create a two-tiered system of learning and won’t be accepted by employers and graduate programs, putting those students at a disadvantage...

Full story at https://www.masslive.com/education/2026/06/students-can-now-complete-a-3-year-bachelors-degree-in-mass-heres-where.html.

Two Months of the Guv

As blog readers will surely know, Gov. Newsom is termed out and running a not-a-campaign for president in 2028. And as blog readers will also know, we have tracked the governor's activities and preserved them, along with other relevant happenings since the pandemic. We used to do this tracking on a quarterly basis but the governor has been so very busy, especially with his not-a-campaign, so we have shifted to bimonthly collecting.

You can find the videos we preserved for May and June at:

https://archive.org/details/newsom-may-june-2026.