UC Regents Angered by Official’s Comments : Education: UCLA chancellor apologizes to system President Jack W. Peltason over remarks on affirmative action.

UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young delivered a “low blow” when he compared UC Board of Regents member Ward Connerly to U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, according to another regent, who says the remark will test Young’s already strained relationship with the board.

“Chuck doesn’t have that many friends anymore amongst the regents,” said Regent Glenn Campbell, who also took issue with a remark Young made about the board not being sufficiently concerned about “what needs to be done.”

Campbell said: “What needs to be done, other than pensioning Chuck off? . . . Replacing him. It’ll happen in due course, if he keeps up interviews like that. . . . He’s getting too big for his britches.”

Young’s comments, made during an interview with The Times this week, included a reference to Connerly as Gov. Pete Wilson’s “mouthpiece”--a remark that Young apologized for before it appeared in print.

Connerly, who is black, has called for an end to race-based preferences in UC admissions. Wilson, who appointed Connerly to the board, supports a prospective 1996 ballot initiative that would end many state affirmative action programs.

“At first there was some concern that (Connerly) was out in front of the governor on this,” Young said in the interview, which focused largely on Young’s defense of affirmative action policies. “But I guess he’s the governor’s mouthpiece. I believe he believes it. He believes this deeply. That’s what makes it so dangerous--so does Jesse Helms.”

Young apologized to Connerly on Thursday for his use of the word mouthpiece , saying he only meant to indicate that the governor and Connerly both feel strongly about affirmative action. On Friday, UCLA spokeswoman Jan Klunder also sought to clarify Young’s reference to the conservative North Carolina Republican, saying: “What he intended by the Jesse Helms remark was not to compare their ideology but to compare their strength of conviction on issues.”

Also Friday, Young sent a letter of apology for what he called his “unfortunate and inappropriate” remarks to UC President Jack W. Peltason and asked him to share the letter with his fellow regents.

“My remarks stemmed from my passion about the value of diversity at UCLA and my commitment to the continuation of those appropriate affirmative action efforts necessary to maintain and further enhance that diversity,” Young wrote. “You and the other regents know how strongly I feel about this issue. I recognize and respect, however, that others hold equally strong views across the spectrum.”

Connerly, who responded to Young’s remarks Thursday by suggesting that the outspoken chancellor had been at UCLA “maybe too long,” said Friday that he had accepted Young’s apology.

“I would like to think this is one of those unfortunate moments in which people say things they later regret,” Connerly said. “I don’t bear any grudges and I’m not going to hold this one incident against the chancellor. I think his career, which has been a long and distinguished one, speaks for itself.”

Regent William T. Bagley said Young’s comments and Connerly’s response amounted to “washing a little linen with ink, if you will. . . . Chuck’s a stand-up person. I respect him. And Ward’s a stand-up person. They ought to sit down and have a pleasant meal. I’ll buy it.”