Contrary to the Oct. 22 editorial regarding the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference and Guest Center, the UCLA community and general public had every opportunity to fully evaluate and comment on the project.
A lawsuit is now being pursued by those who failed to convince the UC Board of Regents to vote “no.” That does not mean, however, that more diligence is required in approving UC capital projects.
In fact, UC capital projects are subjected to extensive review, both by the UC Regents and the Office of the President. And the Luskin Conference Center came before the board more often than required by law or UC policies.
The initial concept of a UCLA conference center was presented to the UC Regents in July 2009. In December 2010, Meyer and Renee Luskin committed $40 million for construction and an additional $10 million for an endowment to host academic programs at the center. For more than a year, the UCLA campus invited public input.
At the Board of Regents’ March 2012 meeting, Save Westwood Village representatives submitted a 23-page report. The UC Regents delayed action on the Luskin Center budget until each issue raised in the report could be thoroughly addressed.
The UC Regents considered these issues in detail at two subsequent meetings. At the July 2012 meeting, the Regents voted unanimously to approve the budget and external financing. At the September meeting, they unanimously approved the design.
Approval of this project illustrates that the UC Regents’ oversight process works, not that it needs to be improved.
Patrick Lenz
Vice President, Budget and Capital Resources University of California Office of the President.