Community Colleges Fear Tough Sell on Bond Issues

Motivated by the Los Angeles Community College District’s success in getting voters to approve a $1.2-million bond issue, community colleges from Fullerton to Ventura are asking voters for more than $1 billion to repair and renovate campuses.

But officials fear some of those campaigns could prove more difficult because of economic uncertainty exacerbated by a state energy crisis and the East Coast terrorist attacks.

“From the energy crisis on, the community colleges knew we were in trouble,” said Patricia Kistler, director of governmental and public affairs for the Ventura County Community College District, which hopes to win approval in March for its first bond measure, which would raise about $200 million.

It took three attempts and years of effort for Los Angeles to pass its bond measure--and that approval, in April, came in a much more promising economic climate.

The Mt. San Antonio Community College District in Walnut and the Santa Clarita Community College District plan Nov. 1 elections. Santa Monica, Ventura County, El Camino and Orange County moved their elections from November to March.

Many of the smaller districts delayed capital improvements until after voters approved Proposition 39 last November, which set the passing threshold for certain bonds at 55% of the vote. Before the passage of Proposition 39, it took 67%.

A statewide proposal seeking up to $10 billion for repairs, upgrades and new construction at University of California and California State University campuses as well as the state’s community colleges also has been put off until next year.

Darry Sragow, consultant for Mt. San Antonio College’s $221-million package, said he is using lessons from the Los Angeles district’s campaign, which he also worked on.

“The general electorate is older and whiter than the people who use the community college system the most, so the way to win is to increase turnout among the actual users of the college, which is going to be more ethnically diverse and younger,” Sragow said. “You don’t have to convince them this is a good investment.”

The Los Angeles bond issue passed with 67% of the vote when people felt more secure about their financial futures, said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

“Those districts saw Proposition 39 pass and thought these would have been slam-dunks,” Vosburgh said. “They probably would have been right, but an unparalleled uncertainty is hurting the economy. The psychological impact of the [Sept. 11] terrorist attacks may be that people respond with frugality.”

But neither Proposition 39 nor the economy has changed the need for $83 million in upgrades, including a 32,000-square-foot addition to a science laboratory building at the College of the Canyons, said Joan MacGregor, vice president of the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees.

The bonds would be the one-campus district’s first in 30 years.

Board members are not as sure as they were a year ago that the measure will win voter approval, MacGregor said.

In polls conducted by the six colleges this summer, 65% to 90% of potential voters said they believed their local community college districts were doing a good job, but the respondents were not asked if they would vote for a tax increase.

In Orange County, voters will be asked in March to approve bonds for high schools and the North Orange County Community College District.

Donna Hatchett, spokeswoman for the community college district, said the secondary school bonds may actually help the colleges’ chances. The $239-million package would pay for the renovation of three campuses, including Fullerton College, the state’s oldest continually operating community college.

“We’re looking at partnering our marketing campaigns to capitalize on this area’s strong commitment to education,” Hatchett said. “Otherwise, it may be harder for us all to fight separate little campaigns.”

Before putting it to a vote, Santa Monica College wants to know its voters are willing to pay for $153 million in bonds now that national priorities have shifted to security.

“We will be polling in a couple of days to find out precisely how the events of Sept. 11 will bear on the bond,” said Don Gerard, director of marketing for the campus. “We’re asking people what’s on the top of their minds now: traffic, development, quality of education or the bombings in New York and Washington?”

As the odds stack against the colleges, their needs grow. Gov. Gray Davis has cut $98 million from their base funding, half of which is set aside for repairs.

Ann Garten, spokeswoman for El Camino College in Torrance, said the 55-year-old campus, with 25,000 students, needs a $200-million bond issue for projects such as fixing the fire alarm system.

State education officials were searching for a way to patch and build new campuses throughout California in anticipation of mushrooming enrollments. As proposed, the state bonds will require matching funds from local districts.

“The way facilities funding goes,” Garten said, “local bonds are going to be the only choice for districts to keep up.”

The Jarvis association disapproves of bonds that require only a 55% majority vote. By Vosburgh’s calculations, more than 90% of bonds proposed in the past decade would have passed with such an easy trigger.

“It isn’t about whether they need it,” Vosburgh said. “The bottom line is whether we can afford it. Homeowners who have to look at whether or not they may have a job next year need to be represented. And these districts, all of which put about 10% to 15% fat in their proposals, need to have to work harder to get it. Maybe with all that’s going on, they will.”

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Times staff writer Matt Surman contributed to this report.