Officials step down as board endorses candidate

By Don Clyde
Contributing Writer

The chancellor of the California community college system, Jack Scott, and the president of the University of California, Mark Yudof, resigned from the California Chamber of Commerce board of directors after the board voted Sept. 3 to endorse Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman.

Scott wrote a letter to the chamber president, Allan Zaremberg, stating that he was resigning “in light of the chamber’s action to engage in electioneering.”

The letter did not indicate, however, that Scott was resigning specifically over the board’s choice of Whitman over Democratic candidate Jerry Brown.

“It is in the best interest of the community college system that I stay out of partisan politics,” Scott wrote. “As I have consistently done in the past, I will work cooperatively with any governor, whether a Democrat, Republican or third-party candidate.”

Yudof submitted his letter of membership suspension on Aug. 27 to Zaremberg. But Yudof also indicated he would be willing to return to the board if the chamber created an “ex-officio membership status” for the California Community College, UC and California State University systems.

“As the President of a public university, I cannot take sides in electoral politics. I must preserve my politically agnostic status,” Yudof wrote.

Attempts to contact Scott and Yudof for comment were unsuccessful.

Zaremberg defended the board’s decision to endorse Whitman in a media release.

“For the business community as well as the electorate, job creation and economic recovery are the most important issues and it is clear Meg Whitman most closely reflects the views of those who make private sector job creation their first priority,” Zaremberg said.

A Los Angeles Times report indicated the chamber “traditionally stayed out of partisan politics,” and added that the first chamber endorsement was in 2003 for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Whitman and Brown are currently engaged in a heated race for governor of California. Elections will be held Nov. 2.