Gov. Newsom ‘Had No Clue’ California College of the Arts Would Close

News broke last week that CalArts will close in 2027, news that shocked students and the broader arts community. It also seemed to catch one key figure off guard: Gov. Gavin Newsom.

this san francisco standard Text messages Newsom reportedly sent after the announcement indicated he had “no clue” and had not received “any notification” about CCA’s impending closure, which is currently scheduled to end at the end of the 2026-27 school year.

However, the CCA and its chairman David Howse disputed this claim, telling standard Newsom was informed of the announcement on Monday. CCA leadership and the governor’s office are scheduled to meet this week to discuss the transition.

Founded in Berkeley in 1907, CCA is San Francisco’s last remaining nonprofit independent art school. The school said it will sell the campus to Vanderbilt University as the Nashville-based university looks to expand its footprint and recruit talent in Silicon Valley.

Although CCA has struggled financially in recent years, its closure came as a surprise, in part because Newsom allocated $20 million to the school in last year’s state budget. Shortly thereafter, the college received a $22.5 million donation from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and his wife, Lori, followed by another $22.5 million from other private donors. Mr. Huang’s donation is the largest in the school’s history.

Newsom’s decision to allocate the funds drew criticism at the time. The $20 million grant far exceeds the $2.5 million the state provided to CCA last year.

“Given how difficult this year’s budget is, I can’t understand why we would donate $20 million to a private university,” said Al Muratsuchi, chairman of the Assembly’s education committee. Politico then. “I’m sure CalArts offers valuable educational programs, but our first priority should be supporting our public universities, especially as the Trump administration defunds public higher education.”