John Perez, the former chair of the University of California's board of regents and an influential voice on such issues as eliminating the standardized testing requirement for admissions, announced Wednesday he is stepping down from the board after serving on it for a decade.
The 55-year-old Perez, who was also formerly speaker of the Assembly and served as chair of the regents from 2019-21, made his resignation during a board meeting Wednesday. He said his last day will be tomorrow, unless Gov. Gavin Newsom needs a "few days or weeks longer" to select a replacement.
Perez was originally appointed to the board in 2014 for a term that was set to expire this past March. At that time, though, he felt there were "too many unresolved issues," including budget negotiations with the state and the search for a chancellor at UC Berkeley.
EdSource reported that he asked Newsom at that time to extend his term, and the governor appointed him to another term that would run through 2036. But he said he and the governor privately agreed it would be a much shorter term.
During his time as chair of the board, Perez was influential in pushing through a groundbreaking policy in 2020 to stop requiring standardized tests in undergraduate admissions. Perez called it an "incredible step in the right direction."
However, he failed to win enough support earlier this year for a plan to allow undocumented students to work at university jobs.
As speaker of the Assembly, he authored the bill to create the Middle Class Scholarship, a financial aid award now available to undergraduate students whose families earn as much as $217,000.
Perez’s resignation appeared to surprise even other regents. Janet Reilly, chair of the board, said she didn't have prepared remarks because it was news to her.
