Weak Case for Proposition AA

Sure to puzzle many voters on the November ballot is Proposition AA. Officially, it asks the electorate to advise the Los Angeles Community College District board of trustees whether to levy $205 million in property taxes in order to fund landscaping and lighting improvements on its nine campuses. In fact, the directors would be bound by the vote, and, if the measure is successful, funds raised by the tax will be used not just to beautify and brighten L.A.’s nine community colleges but to renovate half-century-old facilities including athletic fields and parking lots.

The measure’s murky wording stems from an obscure 1972 law that technically allows college district officials to levy a property tax without first seeking public approval. Earlier this year, officials tried to do just that, but after a public outcry and a threat from Sacramento to derail the tax, the district promised to impose the levy only if voters approved it on the November ballot. Hence Proposition AA, which would result in an assessment ranging from $12 for a single-family parcel to $66 for an acre of improved commercial property.

The board has dispensed with some of the boondoggle projects that sparked the initial outcry. Gone, for instance, is a proposal for a $2-million scoreboard for Southwest College, as well as one for a $23.1-million football stadium at Pierce College. But the trustees have failed to say precisely what the tax would fund. Thus we urge a “no” vote on Proposition AA.

Already this year the college district has had a major windfall of public money. At one point, a college official told The Times that the district’s backlog of maintenance and repairs totaled $22 million. In March, the district received that very sum when state voters approved Proposition 203, a school and college construction bond measure.

District officials say the additional money of Proposition AA would enable them to lure private funding, thus reducing their future need for public dollars. They argue, for instance, that a $100,000 investment in renovating the East Los Angeles College stadium could generate $347,000 in revenues from sports fans. But the revenue figures are based on the dubious assumption that it could regularly fill its 21,000 seats.

It’s not even clear why additional public funds are needed. Private industry has already shown a willingness to support the district. The motion picture company DreamWorks SKG, for instance, recently donated $300,000 to set up a film production program at West Los Angeles College.

With 100,000 students, Los Angeles’ community college system is the largest in the nation. It is also a vital regional resource, enabling Southern Californians to master the ever-changing technical skills demanded by today’s job market. But there is no credible evidence that it cannot rise to both of these challenges with existing funding.