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  KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante addresses a crowd of more than 1,000 protesters, who had mixed responses to his comments about the repeal of SP-1 and 2.

By Noah Grand

Daily Bruin Reporter

Although a motion to repeal SP-1 and 2 was not on the agenda of the UC Regents’ meeting Wednesday, the topic dominated much of the behind the scenes discussion at their James E. West Alumni Center meeting place.

The regents passed SP-1 and 2 in 1995, ending the consideration of race, gender and ethnicity in UC admissions and hiring.

Even though repealing SP-1 would not bring the return of affirmative action because of Proposition 209, many see it as a symbolic gesture. Proposition 209 is the ballot initiative passed by California voters in 1996 that bans the use of affirmative action throughout the state.

“It is clear that repealing SP-1 will be on the agenda at some time. The regents want to be able to ask questions about it first,” said Regent William Bagley, who is among the regents in favor of repealing the policy.

Regents’ Chair S. Sue Johnson asked General Counsel James Holst and UC President Richard Atkinson to prepare a report on what the effects of repealing SP-1 could be, but there were no official actions about SP-1 during the meeting.

Regent Ward Connerly, who proposed SP-1 and 2 and was one of the main advocates of Proposition 209, said if those who wanted to repeal had the votes, they should bring it up.

Connerly said the 1,000 protesters outside the meeting had a right to protest but weren’t well informed about the issue.

“We can’t restore preferences. Enrollment is not down because of discrimination. People do not understand that when they say there are not enough of those people that they are also saying they have too many of those (other) people,” Connerly said.

He said as long as minorities were competing under the same rules, the fact that they weren’t as competitive was “not my problem.”

“They want us to get them in no matter what,” Connerly said.

Members of the public who spoke at the meeting warned the regents about the dangers of not repealing SP-1 and SP-2, saying the policies made minority students feel unwelcome.

“You have no future as anything but a villain in California if you don’t take a vote during this meeting,” said Tania Kappner, a member of UC Berkeley’s Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary.

One protester started crying as she took her turn to speak against SP-1 and SP-2.

Protesters respected the rules for public comment and left the meeting to join the protesters outside after public comments ended. Demonstrators could be heard chanting outside throughout the meeting but they were not disruptive.

“I hope that the protesters can stay peaceful. That’s certainly what I expect. I have great faith in the UCLA students, my concern is the others who may participate,” said Chancellor Albert Carnesale inside the alumni center.

As protesters marched and chanted outside, the regents inside deliberated what to do. Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante, Student Regent Justin Fong, and Regents Judith Hopkinson and Sherry Lansing debated putting a repeal vote on that meeting’s agenda, but they decided not to because of a lack of votes.

During the meeting’s break, Bustamante, a regent by virtue of his position, went outside to meet with Karren Lane, chair of the African Student Union.

After speaking to Lane, Bustamante went to the steps of Ackerman Union to speak to the protesters and was booed in a a heated confrontation with the group. Lane interrupted and yelled at Bustamante several times after he said a repeal of SP-1 would not come up at this meeting because there were not enough votes present.

He said two regents who supported the repeal of SP-1 were not at the meeting and a third regent left early, so there would not be enough votes to repeal SP-1 Wednesday or Thursday, but there might be in the future.

“We think the votes are there. They’re going to be there and the question is when is the first opportunity what we can make this take place. I think at this point it’s going to be May,” Bustamante said.

Throughout the protests, students argued that the regents did in fact have the votes for a repeal.

But Bagley said voting today might have hurt the chances of a successful repeal.

“There are regents who would be supportive of repealing SP-1 but would not want to feel pressured into voting for it. The more you try to force a vote, the less likely it is to be affirmative,” Bagley said.

After the meeting, the protesters took over Royce Hall and mayoral candidates Antonio Villaraigosa and Xavier Beccera arrived to show their support.

Though the candidates had planned to crash that night’s regents’ dinner, Beccera, who represents Los Angeles in the U.S. House of Representatives, had to return to Washington D.C. for a vote. Jim Bickhart, who is associated with the Villaraigosa campaign, said the former speaker was discouraged from going to the regents’ dinner, but instead, will draft a letter describing the day’s events and urging the regents to put the repeal on their agenda.

Those who support the repeal say that regardless of Proposition 209, such action will have very real effects.

“We’re talking about something that is an unwelcome mat. It has provided a barrier to many students coming into the University of California,” Bustamante said.

Others question the politics involved in a repeal. Carnesale said the issue has partially become about the internal politics of the Regents.

Bagley, who abstained in the original vote, said his reason for pioneering the repeal was not for support of affirmative action, but rather, to help the reputation of the university, which many say has been tarnished by Regent Connerly’s efforts to end affirmative action other states.

“This board should stay out of the political realm,” Bagley said.

With reports from Timothy Kudo, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.