UC Regent Pattiz to Resign Amid Sexual Harassment and Allegations of a Gun Threat

Amid sexual harassment and allegations of gun threats, UC Regent Norman Pattiz will resign in February.

First reported by the SF Chronicle, Pattiz submitted his resignation to UC Regent Chair George Kieffer. In September, allegations surfaced that Pattiz had brandished his gun as a threat to one of his employees.

Pattiz, a Westwood media mogul and regent since 2001, was reappointed for another 12-year term in 2014 by Governor Jerry Brown.

Last year, Pattiz was recorded asking a colleague, Heather McDonald, if he could hold her breasts while they were filming a radio commercial.

“Wait a minute—can I hold your breasts? Would that help?” Pattiz said to McDonald, who left Pattiz’s company PodcastOne not long after the incident. Pattiz told The Los Angeles Times at the time that he deeply regretted his behavior.

The UC Student Association (UCSA), which represents all undergraduate students in the UC, asked Pattiz to resign in 2016. After a lack of action, UCSA followed up by requesting several state authorities (including the UC Regents) to ask him to do everything in their power to remove Pattiz or force him to resign. Earlier this month, UC Regents Gavin Newsom, Paul Monge, and Tom Torlakson issued a public statement asking Pattiz to resign.

In November, Pattiz said that if he resigned, it would be unrelated to student concerns. When asked if he would resign during a phone interview, Pattiz said “not on your life.

Since the complaints have surfaced, the Regents have changed their policy to immediately trigger an investigation after alleged misconduct.

“I’ve had a wonderful 16 years and met great people along the way,” Pattiz said in his resignation letter. “I will be forever grateful for my time as a UC Regent.”

Gabe Schneider is the News Editor at The Triton. He can be reached at news@triton.news.