Prop. T Asks Bond Issue for SMCC : Education: The $23-million measure would pay to expand the college library and update aging buildings.

SANTA MONICA — Mona Martin’s heart goes out to students who sit cross-legged on her library floor.

“I want to ask them to take a seat, but then I realize there aren’t any,” the manager of the Santa Monica College library said.

It’s worse in stormy weather. Students who usually read outdoors come in and join the rug rats lining the walls of the library.

Lack of study space was one of the problems that prompted college officials to put Proposition T on the Nov. 3 ballot in the Santa Monica Community College District, which encompasses Santa Monica and Malibu.

The $23-million capital improvement bond measure would pay for expanding the library and bringing science labs and other old buildings up to modern safety and teaching standards.

The 25-year bond would cost renters about $12 a year and homeowners about $40 a year, or $15 for every $100,000 in assessed property value. It requires a two-thirds vote to pass.

So far, there is no organized opposition to the measure. It has received endorsements from Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, the Santa Monica Democratic Club and key individuals including Rose Kaufman, chairwoman of the Santa Monica Commission on Older Americans, and Malibu Mayor Walt Keller.

It is likely, however, that the fate of Proposition T depends less on how voters feel about the capital projects it would finance than on how they feel about Santa Monica College as an institution.

There is no disputing that Santa Monica is an extraordinary community college. It boasts the best track record in the state at producing students who transfer to UC campuses. It offers a broad array of academic, vocational and personal enrichment courses. It has an award-winning community service radio station, KCRW.

“Santa Monica College has provided substantial character to the town,” said Assemblyman Tom Hayden, a supporter of the measure and an occasional teacher at the college. “In my opinion, it’s the best thing about the city.”

But the success has not been without a price. A longstanding complaint stems from the fact that two-thirds of the college’s 26,000 students come from outside the district. Some Santa Monica residents, particularly those living near the main campus, tend to ask why they should carry the burden of traffic and--in the case of the bond issue, property taxes as well--for the benefit of outsiders.

Linda Ross, head of the College Area Coalition, said she will vote against Proposition T, along with most members in her neighborhood group. Ross lives on 16th Street on the west border of campus.

“Nobody I know is against having a quality learning institution,” she said. “But the fallout from that is traffic. . . . Until they correct the problems that they’ve created we’re not going to support anything.”

Ross is not satisfied with the college’s efforts to address traffic problems. Two parking structures opened a year ago with room for 2,700 cars to meet peak parking requirements, according to college spokesman Bruce Smith. Residential parking permits are required on streets surrounding the campus.

Santa Monica Community College District Supt. Richard Moore defends the outside enrollment, saying these students bring state funding with them that makes the college’s wide range of programs possible.

Moore said it is really the state’s responsibility to pay for campus improvements. He also said it would be more appropriate if the bond measure covered the entire Westside rather than just Santa Monica.

But neither of these is feasible, he said. Meanwhile, funds must be found for upgrading buildings that violate laws related to safety and access for the handicapped. Another incentive to build now is taking advantage of low construction costs and interest rates.

The College Board of Trustees struggled with the bond measure at length, Moore said. They were encouraged by a public opinion survey conducted in March designed to get public input on a long-range facilities plan.

The survey of 400 randomly selected Santa Monica and Malibu residents showed 67% in favor of a $30-million bond to fund improvements, district marketing consultant Don Girard said. Nineteen percent said they would oppose the measure, 13% weren’t sure.

The survey also showed that 65% of respondents had an immediate family member who attended the college at some time.

Encouraged by these numbers, the board voted June 3 to put the measure on the ballot.

“We got a good report card that said to us, ‘It’s a good idea and take that idea to the voters,’ ” Moore said.

The campaign for Proposition T will target that undecided 13%, Girard said.

If passed, the bond will pay for three projects that were identified by survey respondents as their top concerns.

* It will expand the library at a cost of $6 million. Currently, there are 360 seats . Expansion would increase study space.

* It will rehabilitate science labs for $13 million. Built in 1953, the labs do not have adequate ventilation and storage. Aging utilities do not provide support for modern equipment. * It will upgrade the satellite Madison campus at a cost of $4 million. Walls of buildings on this campus at 11th Street and Arizona Avenue are insulated with asbestos, which must be removed. The building also needs to be brought into compliance with laws mandating access for the handicapped.