UC president recommends UCLA pay Cal Berkeley $10 million per year for 6 years
LOS ANGELES — The University of California Board of Regents is expected to accept a recommendation that UCLA pay the University of California at Berkeley $10 million per year for six years as a result of the Bruins’ impending move to the Big Ten and demise of the Pac-12.
The recommendation was made by UC President Michael Drake and will be voted on Tuesday during a regents meeting at UC Merced.
In order to get the regents to confirm UCLA’s move to the Big Ten in December 2022, the university agreed to pay UC Berkeley between $2 million and $10 million because of how the move would affect the Cal athletics program.
Cal agreed to join the Atlantic Coast Conference last year after the Pac-12 failed to negotiate a media deal, forcing eight of its members to leave.
In addition to higher travel costs, Cal will receive a smaller share of the ACC’s media rights deal.
According to a report from UC’s president, the difference between the annual distribution of media rights from UCLA of the Big Ten and UC Berkeley’s share of the ACC will be approximately $50 million per year.
Drake also recommends that if there is a significant change in revenues and/or expenses for either school, more than 10% from 2024-2025 projections, UCLA’s contribution could be re-evaluated by the Regents.
UCLA and the University of Southern California announced on June 30, 2022 that they would leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. USC is private and not part of the UC system.
The regents became involved shortly after the announcement when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized UCLA’s decision because Chancellor Gene Block and athletic director Martin Jarmond did not notify the regents in advance.
In 1991, campus chancellors were given the authority by the UC Office of the President to execute their own contracts, including intercollegiate athletics agreements. But the regents learned at a meeting in August 2022 that they retain the authority to review decisions affecting the UC system, meaning they could affirm, reverse or waive UCLA’s decision.
The regents voted four months later to go ahead with the move. In addition to the payments to its sister school, UCLA agreed to make further investments for athletes, including nutritional support, mental health care, academic support while traveling and charter flights to reduce travel time.
“We have said from the beginning that we understand that we may need to help Berkeley. We are fine with it and happy that it has been resolved,” Block said after the regents approved the measure.
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