It's on in California: Gov. Newsom, UC Regents want UCLA to justify planned Pac-12 exit

And you thought Arizona’s college scene was upside down after the news broke that fellow Pac-12 members USC and UCLA were bolting for the Big Ten by 2024.

The teeth-gnashing here is nothing compared to what’s transpiring in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom and the University of California Board of Regents have waded into the fray.

First Newsom, attending on Wednesday the first UC Regents meeting since the Los Angeles schools announced their planned move on June 30, demanded UCLA officials justify why the school is leaving the Pac-12 for what essentially is a Midwest-centered conference.

Then on Thursday, the regents doubled down, asking for a public review of UCLA’s controversial departure. The review would include an assessment on the impact on student-athletes both at UCLA and other campuses in the University of California system.

USC is not in these particular crosshairs, since it is a private university and not part of the UC system.

Among the concerns of both Newsom, who is an ex officio member of the board, and the regents is the financial hit the remaining UC school in the Pac-12 – Cal Berkeley – will take when the expected devaluation of the Pac-12 happens after the LA schools exit.

“The first duty of every public university is to the people — especially students,” Newsom said in a statement. “UCLA must clearly explain to the public how this deal will improve the experience for all its student-athletes, will honor its century-old partnership with UC Berkeley, and will preserve the histories, rivalries, and traditions that enrich our communities.”

UCLA and Cal have played each other in football since 1923.

It all sounds very official and serious, but here’s the rub: The regents cannot force UCLA to stay put. That ship sailed more than 30 years ago when the UC president’s office gave campus chancellors the authority to negotiate their own contracts – including sports.

The best the regents might be able to do is force UCLA to pay Cal some sort of exit fee for leaving the Pac-12, or possibly share the TV rights windfall the Bruins likely will get in the Big Ten.

The public review requested by the regents will be conducted by UC President Michael V. Drake. It’s due on Aug. 17 and is supposed to address what UCLA’s departure will mean to other UC institutions, and how UCLA plans to handle issues like scheduling and travel in a new conference that literally stretches from coast to coast.

Perhaps more important is that the report also will take a hard look at the regents’ policy to let the schools control their athletics operations. Board Chair Richard Leib told The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that the delegation of authority “didn’t necessarily anticipate this type of action.”

UCLA’s argument for leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten does, apparently and unsurprisingly, boil down to money. Athletic Director Martin Jarmond told the Associated Press last month that UCLA, with 23 sports, is facing a $102.8-million deficit.

"I appreciate the Pac-12,” Jarmond said.  “That said, my, my focus first and foremost is our student athletes, and what is best for our student athletes. And when you look at the landscape and how dynamic is changing, the Big Ten was the right move at the right time for us.”

Mark Faller is sports editor of the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at mark.faller@arizonarepublic.com, and follow him on Twitter @falleraz.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gov. Newsom, UC Regents pressuring UCLA over planned Pac-12 departure