The free-market think tank Goldwater Institute sued the University of California, Los Angeles to try to force the public school to produce documents under state law related to an “activist-in-residence” with a history of anti-Israel statements.
The institute filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The suit states that Lisa Gray-Garcia, a “poverty scholar,” is part of the university’s “activist-in-residence” program, which the school describes as an opportunity “for activists to engage with the UCLA community to develop and strengthen their capabilities, work and commitment towards racial, economic and social justice.”
Gray-Garcia, according to the suit, has stated on social media that Israel is a “colonizer” and is guilty of “genocide.” She has also said that the University of California, San Francisco is “Zionist funded,” the suit alleges. (JNS sought comment from UCLA.)
The institute says that it filed a California Public Records Act request in October for documents related to Gray-Garcia’s contract with the university, her course materials and any emails from her about Israel and Zionism. The university has “repeatedly sought to delay dealing with the requests,” the suit alleges.
“Now, more than four months after UCLA acknowledged receiving the public records request, UCLA has failed to produce a single public record,” the suit states. “It has also failed to offer any justification for its failure other than administrative burden.”
Stacy Skankey, litigation director of the American freedom network at the institute, stated that “taxpayers have a right to know what is being taught and how much a university is paying for it.”
“UCLA should have responded quickly to our basic records request about Lisa Gray-Garcia’s work with the school,” Skankey said. “Unfortunately, they simply refuse to follow the law. Now it’s time for the court to step in and force UCLA to shine a light on what the public is paying for.”
