University of California students are pushing for more representation on the influential UC Board of Regents, arguing that the current single vote leaves little to no student voice at a time of widespread political and technological disruptions in higher education.
The Assembly Constitutional Amendment 18 will ask voters in November to decide whether to add a second student representative. The proposal is co-authored by Assemblymembers Jessica M. Calozza (D-Los Angeles) and Patrick Ahrens (D-Sunnyvale).
Also, UC is strongly advocating another, unrelated measure that would put up a $23 billion bond to launch the California Foundation for Science and Health Research. The state counterpart of the National Institutes of Health will fund grants and programs for research in biomedicine, climate, wildfires and infectious disease, among other areas.
On Tuesday, Calozza and Ahrens joined a group of students calling for more representation during a campaign-style rally outside the Regents meeting at UCLA as part of a statewide tour.
26 member board of regents It consists of a voting student regent and a non-voting student regent-nominee, who trains for a year before taking the voting seat when the former member cycles out. If passed by the Legislature and voters, the amendment would require the Regents to appoint two undergraduates and two graduate students to a two-year term beginning July 1, 2027. Each student will serve his or her first year as a non-voting regent-nominee.
The sole student regent position was approved by voters in 1974. Both the California State University Board of Trustees and the California Community Colleges Board of Governors have two student voting members on their governing panels.
A similar UC measure to add another student regents failed five years ago.
As a constitutional amendment, ACA 18 does not require the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom. But it must clear both legislative houses with a two-thirds vote before going to voters.
Students say increasing representation is necessary as UC faces Trump administration restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion programming, a federal investigation into admissions, ongoing free-speech controversies tied to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests and a tuition increase that the Regents voted for last year.
“Students have long waited for increased representation and input on UC Regents decisions,” said Sherry Zhou, external vice president of the UCLA Undergraduate Students Association. council. “I have seen how student input has been sidelined and ignored.”
Zhou said her peers rely on the student regent position to raise concerns about policing, student workers and student services. He said the proposal is “about much more than representation. It’s about equality, accountability and making sure those most affected have a real voice.”
UCLA Undergraduate Students Association. Council President Diego Bollo said students “have been in the shadows while decisions about tuition, housing and student services have been made without their input.”
Assemblymember Jessica M. Calozza and co-author Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, right, speak at a news conference at UCLA on May 5, 2026.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Samantha Zavala, a UC Riverside junior and UC Student Association. The vice president of UCLAVote, a get-out-the-vote group, said she has spent months advocating with lawmakers and students in support of the bill.
“Five years ago, we tried this campaign, and we passed committee and we got stuck in appropriations,” he said. “Today, we find ourselves once again ahead of the Higher Education Committee and Appropriations.” He urged students to pressure lawmakers to support the effort before the June deadline.
Jack Feng, vice president of external affairs for UCLA’s Graduate Students Association, expressed support, but said barriers remain for graduate, out-of-state, international and mid-career students. “In the more than 50-year history of this position, no international student has ever been appointed,” said Feng, an international student. Feng said he was speaking for himself and not for the Graduate Student Association.
The UC has not taken a position on ACA 18. In a statement, a spokesperson said students “play an important role in shaping university policies. … Their practical approaches and contributions help make UC the nation’s top public university and we are committed to continuing our strong collaboration with them.”
But UC stands fully behind Senate Bill 895, the bond measure to fund science research. UC is co-sponsoring this bill with United Auto Workers Region 6 and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.
UC President James B. Milliken rallied for that bill in Sacramento on Monday with Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), UAW President Sean Fain, faculty, students and staff. They included members of UAW 4811, which represents 40,000 academic employees, including doctoral and postdoctoral science researchers, on UC campuses.
Milliken said, pointing to cuts in federal funding, “The University of California is facing the most significant disruption to our research enterprise in our history.” He said five Nobel laureates last year had UC ties. He said, “It seems unimaginable to me that we would willingly abandon leadership that has moved our country forward, boosted the economy, made us healthier and made us safer.”
SB 895 requires legislative approval and the governor’s signature to qualify for the ballot.
