As we noted, University of California president Janet Napolitano has been beating the drum for tuition hikes while maintaining a secret slush fund of $175 million, California’s state auditor recently revealed. As Republican assemblyman Dante Acosta pointed out, Napolitano’s office spent the hidden money “on things such as administrator bonuses and renovating the homes of campus chancellors,” but criticism of Napolitano, a Democrat and former governor of Arizona, was bipartisan. “President Napolitano is not worthy of the public’s trust,” explained Democratic assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva. “It’s time she resigned.”

The case is strong, but the UC Regents aren’t having it.

“I was delighted when I found out we had a chance to have Janet Napolitano as our president. I’m still delighted,” Regent Norm Pattiz explained. For Regent Bonnie Reiss, “Seeing how some in the press have characterized it as a slush fund or a secret fund hurt my heart.” Actually, the press was right. It was a slush fund and it was secret. Regent Sherry Lansing targeted media “distortions” that claimed Napolitano had done anything wrong and proclaimed, “Her leadership of UC has been incredible.” Taxpayers, legislators and students alike might wonder what leadership Lansing is talking about.

From 2009 to 2013, Janet Napolitano headed the federal Department of Homeland Security, but she fails to maintain order and civil discourse on campuses such as UCLA where free-speech advocates are under fire. UC Berkeley explodes into violence over any speaker less than worshipful of political correctness, but president Napolitano looks the other way. She has made no cuts in the UC’s vast bureaucracy and beats the drum for tuition hikes while secretly hoarding $175 million. As assemblywoman Quirk-Silva contends, Janet Napolitano is not worthy of the public trust and it’s time she resigned. By hiring and retaining this corrupt non-leader, the Regents have made the UC presidency a sinecure for a political hack who got her start smearing the African American Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.