LOS ANGELES – The University of California Board of Regents is expected to accept a recommendation that UCLA pay the University of California, Berkeley $10 million a year for six years as a result of the Bruins' upcoming move to the Big Ten and disappearance of the Pac-12.
The recommendation was made by UC President Michael Drake and will be voted on during a regents meeting Tuesday at UC Merced.
In order for 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 due to how the move would affect Cal's athletic program.
Cal agreed to join the Atlantic Coast Conference last year after the Pac-12 failed to negotiate a media deal, causing eight of its members to leave.
In addition to increased travel costs, Cal will have a reduced share of the ACC's media rights deal.
According to a UC president's report, the difference between UCLA's annual media rights distribution 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 revenue and/or expenses for either school, exceeding 10% from 2024-25 projections, the regents can reevaluate UCLA's contribution.
UCLA and the University of Southern California announced on June 30, 2022, that they would be leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. USC is private and is not part of the UC system.
The Regents became involved shortly after the announcement when Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized UCLA's move because Chancellor Gene Block and Athletic Director Martin Jarmond did not give the regents advance notice.
In 1991, the UC Office of the President delegated authority to campus chancellors to execute their own contracts, including intercollegiate athletic agreements. But regents heard during an August 2022 meeting that they retain the authority to review decisions affecting the UC system, meaning they could affirm, reverse or refrain from following up on UCLA's decision.
The Regents voted four months later to allow the measure to move forward. In addition to payments to its sister school, UCLA agreed to make more investments for athletes, including nutritional support, mental health services, academic support while traveling and charter flights to reduce travel time.
“We said from the beginning that we understood that we might need to help Berkeley. We agree and are happy to see it resolved,” Block said after the regents approved the measure.
