UC Admissions Scandal: Diane Feinstein’s Husband Wrote ‘Inappropriate Letter’ To Get Student Into Berkeley

Blum is a member of the Board of Regents, the governing body of the University of California system, which includes schools like UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC San Diego and UC Irvine. 

According to a state audit released this week, a regent, later identified as Blum, wrote a letter to UC Berkeley’s chancellor advocating for a student on the waitlist, which “likely influenced” the decision to eventually admit the applicant, who only had a 26% of being admitted based on their application ratings.

Blum’s letter violated university policy, which says regents should only submit letters of recommendations through the regular admissions process, not directly to other parties like the chancellor.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Blum said he frequently writes letters bypassing the proper admissions process for friends and family. “No one ever told me it was wrong,” he said.

Blum founded the San Francisco-based investment firm Blum Capital Partners, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes. Feinstein’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.