I just cannot fathom how they can evaluate students fairly without tests or teacher recommendations. It seems like the only criteria is economic status or hard luck stories. My son attends one of the best public (and largest) high schools in CA and is one of their top students. If he cannot get into any but Riverside then there is something wrong, in my opinion. (Though I suppose he is lucky to get into any UC since he did not apply to any other schools. We will have two students in college at the same time. His sister is applying as a transfer from a community college. We are not economically advantaged compared to a lot of other parents.) Seems like the decision to eliminate tests disfavors the middle class.