Sexually Charged Remarks Lead to Regent’s Resignation

A regent at the University of California stepped down Thursday after being caught on tape asking an employee last year if he could hold her breasts.

Regent Norman J. Pattiz sent his resignation letter to Regents Chair George Keiffer, saying he would retire in February after serving 16 years on the board.

His letter failed to mention the sexual harassment claim, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Comedian Heather McDonald brought the controversy to light in October 2016, after she shared the comments Pattiz had made to her while taping a podcast commercial for a memory-foam bra in May 2016.

After she blundered her lines, Pattiz asked, “Can I hold your breasts? Would that help?”

He then held up his hands and added, “These are memory foam.”

Pattiz later apologized for the remarks, calling them a joke.

Related: More Sexual Harassment Controversy: Doctor Reveals Her #MeToo Story

Outraged students demanded he be removed, protesting at a university regents meeting in November.

In response to the controversy, new guidelines were created that require all regents and employees to attend the university’s sexual harassment prevention training program.

Pattiz apologized for the remarks, calling them a joke.

Several regents, including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, raised questions earlier this month about whether the Board of Regents had dealt too lightly with Pattiz.

This Fox News piece by Stephen Sorace is used by permission; the Associated Press contributed.

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(photo credit, homepage image: University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California, CC BY-SA 2.0, by Ken Lund; photo credit, article image: UCSF – Mission Bay Campus, CC BY-SA 3.0, by Masur)