Endorsement: Vote yes on Measure LA to invest in community colleges.
The ballot title for Measure LA is an important one. The ballot title sets the tone for the measure and provides voters with a broad look at the substance of the measure. We strongly support the ballot title and believe it accurately conveys the aims of the measure.
If the measure is approved, it would create a dedicated funding stream for community colleges. The first part of Measure LA directs $3.5 million annually to the California Community Colleges to be available for “[l]inked grants to community colleges or for other programs or activities with a particular student outcome goal or purposes.” This $3.5 million investment comes directly from state general fund tax revenue.
The second part of the measure, Measure LA (Measure LA-1A) would create a College Access Fund with $3 billion, to be invested in community colleges. The Board would have the ability to sell bonds to fund these investments, as is done with other state general fund investments. The Board would be authorized to invest the total amount on a pro forma basis, provided that the required net worth can be certified to the Office of Planning and Analysis.
The College Access Fund would target the neediest, low-income students and would likely include the following: (1) the largest neediest, most vulnerable students; (2) students from groups traditionally underserved by higher education; (3) students enrolled in classes with high dropout rates; and (4) students with the highest need for transferable college credits.
If approved, the measure would create an ongoing program to assist California Community Colleges in applying for these investments, with priority given to students, schools and departments in the colleges, and the local community college.
The College Access Fund and the investment it creates would bring needed resources to California Community Colleges, where enrollment is declining and enrollment increases are necessary to serve the neediest, most vulnerable students. The College Access Fund would complement, not replace, the state’s primary and secondary