University of California President Janet Napolitano apologized for actions in her office during an audit in which she hid $175 million from state while demanding more money.
"While we believe we did things appropriately, it is clear in retrospect that we could have handled this better. I am sorry we did it this way, because it has created the wrong impression and detracted from the important fact that we accept the recommendations in the audit report," Napolitano said, according to The Sacramento Bee.
State auditor Elaine Howle reported that Napolitano's office tried to hamper the audit, including attempts to edit the survey responses from other University of California campuses.
"We felt that the surveys didn't reflect an independent voice from those campuses," Howle told lawmakers, according to Fox News.
Napolitano said she agreed that the university should improve the way it keeps budget plans and records, saying the audit's recommendations were "helpful and constructive," the Los Angeles Times reports.
Legislators said they approved of Napolitano's apology, but some registered their criticism of the university office.
"When I look at this, I kind of think, 'Holy cow manure, I can't believe this is happening," Assemblyman Miguel Santiago said, according to the Sacramento Bee.
In the wake of the audit report, some officials are calling on the university to cancel a 2.5 percent tuition increase, the LA Times notes.
Last month, Napolitano disagreed with the $175 million amount the audit reported, saying in a statement on April 5 the money in the university's reserves is actually $38 million and the rest is money from grants
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.