California Governor Gavin Newsom declined to give a direct answer on Wednesday when asked whether he would support reinstating SAT and ACT requirements for University of California applicants. The question followed an open letter signed by more than 3,000 UC faculty members calling for the standardised tests to be brought back, reigniting a long-running debate over how the state's top public university system should assess prospective students.

Rather than committing to a position, Newsom responded by asking to be shown the underlying data, suggesting he wanted further evidence before backing any change to admissions policy. The UC system moved away from requiring SAT and ACT scores in recent years amid concerns the tests disadvantaged some applicants, a decision now being challenged by faculty who argue for their return.