Empty Seats

Entering its final meeting of the summer, the UC Board of Regents will have had five vacancies for about three months, after two term-outs, two resignations and one death.

Usually, there are only two vacancies, which are due to regents reaching the end of their terms, according to Student Regent Devon Graves, and this year was former regents William De La Peña and Bruce Varner’s turn. The death of Bonnie Reiss earlier this year and the resignations of Norman Pattiz and Monica Lozano have raised the number of vacancies up to five, the highest since 2013.

“We have to look at the positive side, that there are going to be five new regents,” Graves said. “It is an opportunity to bring in new perspectives.”

There is no strict timeline for when the governor must appoint regents for their 12-year terms, but Gov. Jerry Brown met with an advisory committee in April — the first time a governor had met with the committee in 17 years — to help him choose new regents.

No appointments have been announced as of press time, and there are no appointments on this week’s Board of Regents meeting agenda...

Full story at http://www.dailycal.org/2018/07/17/uc-board-regents-enter-3rd-meeting-5-vacancies/