This post was updated Feb. 5 at 9:02 p.m.

Undergraduate Students Association Council Cultural Affairs Commissioner Alicia Verdugo announced Tuesday that they will resign amid allegations of antisemitic discrimination.

During the council’s Tuesday meeting, Verdugo said she would resign from her role – which she has held for nearly three years – over concerns for her personal safety. They added that they were proud of the work they have done while in office.

“I’m always prioritizing the safety and empowerment and platforming of Black, Indigenous and students of color,” Verdugo said during the meeting. “I’m really proud of my work and the work of those before me.” 

Verdugo’s announcement came two days before she was set to face a hearing in front of the USA Judicial Board concerning allegations that her office deliberately did not hire Jewish applicants during its fall 2024 hiring cycle. 

Verdugo also planned to call a Jewish student, who is a member of Jewish Voice for Peace at UCLA – an organization critical of Israel – as a defense witness at the judicial board hearing, according to a witness list published to the judicial board’s website. The student is also a former Daily Bruin contributor.

[Related: USAC Cultural Affairs commissioner to face USA Judicial Board in Friday hearing]

Verdugo also thanked other members of the council, who applauded after her remarks during the meeting. USAC President Adam Tfayli had previously told the Daily Bruin the council would vote to remove Verdugo from their position if the judicial board found that they discriminated against Jewish students.

As commissioner, Verdugo organized events that included Bruin Bash and the commission’s annual JazzReggae Festival. Verdugo also supported resolutions to support undocumented students on campus and repatriate art and artifacts at the Tuesday meeting. 

Verdugo had also previously sponsored a passed resolution endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel. She also said she was arrested following the police sweep of the first Palestine solidarity encampment at UCLA and cancelled her office’s spring 2024 events following the encampment.

[Related: Cultural Affairs Commission cancels events through end of academic year]

Bella Brannon, the plaintiff in the complaint against Verdugo, said the third-term commissioner’s resignation was “long overdue.” Brannon’s complaint was made after she was rejected from a position in Verdugo’s office in the fall.

“Verdugo’s legacy at UCLA has been characterized by exclusion and harassment,” said Brannon, the editor in chief of Ha’Am – a Jewish newsmagazine that shares a publisher with the Daily Bruin. “We think that this is a step toward having … an inclusive campus and a commission that truly represents cultural affairs.”

Brannon, a fourth-year public affairs and religion student, added that she does not believe Verdugo, who cited concerns for their physical safety when announcing their resignation, deserves to face threats of physical violence. 

Judicial Board Chief Justice Mithra Venkatesh said in a statement emailed Wednesday evening that Brannon withdrew her complaint against Verdugo. As a result, the board has cancelled Thursday’s scheduled hearing, she added.

Verdugo posted evidence they planned to present at the hearing to a link on the commission’s Instagram. In the evidence, Verdugo said she believes anti-Zionism is not antisemitism and claimed that each application to their office was fairly evaluated and provided justifications – including “insufficient responses” and the use of artificial intelligence to write responses.

Verdugo, who had also been accused of denying Brannon and another reporter from Ha’Am access to one of the commission’s events, cited capacity concerns for the denial of entry and added that they had apologized to a student who was denied entry to the event.

Before Brannon’s November complaint, Verdugo faced a failed February 2024 recall attempt from multiple Jewish student leaders, including the student presidents of Hillel at UCLA. 

Verdugo’s former chief of staff, who is a former Daily Bruin staffer, also complained of sex-based discrimination in the office, but the staffer’s complaint was dismissed by the judicial board.

Tfayli will nominate a candidate to replace Verdugo following an open interview process, according to the USA Bylaws. The nominee will then be voted on by the full council. 

Verdugo is the second USAC officer to resign this year, after former Facilities Commissioner Alexandra Paul resigned in January.

[Related: USAC Facilities Commissioner Alexandra Paul resigns]

Verdugo did not respond to a request in time for comment on their resignation. However, they said in the post to their office’s Instagram that they appreciate the support they have received from student groups throughout their tenure.

“I am so proud of how we have led the commission this past year,” she said. “The past four years of my life have been given to something bigger than myself and I cannot be more grateful.”

Contributing reports from Paco Bacalski, Anna Dai-Liu, Shaun Thomas and Dylan Winward, Daily Bruin staff.