Davis Appoints 2 to Board of Regents

Increasing his influence over the governing body of the University of California, Gov. Gray Davis on Friday announced two more appointments to its Board of Regents: Westwood One radio network founder Norman J. Pattiz and La Opinion newspaper executive Monica C. Lozano.

Pattiz of Beverly Hills is the founder and board chairman of Westwood One, the nation’s largest radio network. An active Democrat, Pattiz is a close friend of the governor and a major contributor to his political campaigns.

Lozano is president and chief operating officer of La Opinion, the Spanish-language daily based in Los Angeles. A former member of the state Board of Education, appointed by Davis, she is also an active, 10-year member of the USC Board of Trustees.

Reached Friday, Lozano and Pattiz expressed delight with their appointments to the prestigious UC board, which oversees the nine-campus research university. The appointments must be confirmed by the California Senate.

“It’s a tremendously challenging time for the UC and a difficult budget situation in which the university will be required to offer more to a larger, more diverse student population,” said Lozano, 45. “I look forward to being involved in that.”

Lozano said she is a registered Democrat but is “independent-minded” and has not made political contributions to Davis or other candidates.

And she said that she does not expect her role as a member of the boards for both the University of California and USC to pose a conflict--except, perhaps, at the annual cross-town USC-UCLA football game.

Pattiz, meanwhile, said he hopes to get quickly up to speed on the challenges facing the university, including the impact of the expected arrival of thousands of more students this decade as the children of the baby boom generation reach college age. Other issues include President Richard C. Atkinson’s efforts to broaden access to the university through a number of proposed admissions reforms.

“I’ll be the new kid on the block for a while but I’m extremely interested in education and I look forward to getting started,” Pattiz said.

Pattiz, 58, is a major Democratic donor, contributing $453,000 to various state and federal campaigns since 1998. Davis has been by far the largest recipient of his largess, receiving $210,000 from Pattiz since 1998, including $35,000 this year.

At last year’s Democratic National Convention, Pattiz allowed the governor to use his Beverly Hills home to host a party for visiting journalists.

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Times staff writer Dan Morain in Sacramento contributed to this story.