LBCC will ask voters to approve $990 million facilities bond measure in November

The Long Beach Community College District will ask voters in November to decide whether they’ll approve issuing $990 million in bonds repaid by property taxes to rejuvenate the aging college.

School board officials estimate that the newest measure could cost property owners up to $25 annually per $100,000 of assessed value for 25 years. When factoring in interest and principal, the total cost could run up to $1.86 billion.

The college’s board of trustees passed the measure 5-0 on Wednesday.  Following submission of paperwork to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, the measure will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

Trustee Uduak-Joe Ntuk said the bonds would bring much-needed cash to renovate the college’s two campuses and relieve what administrators described as “outdated and deteriorating” conditions that hinder their 26,000-pupil system.

“The need is greater than what we’re asking for,” Ntuk said, adding that the initial “master list” started at $1.53 billion.

Several buildings at either campus are more than 70 years old. In their report, administrators cite shabby schoolrooms, roofs that leak following heavy rains and outdated utility lines. Some facilities are riddled with mold and asbestos, while others are noncompliant with state and federal standards for accessibility, earthquakes, fire and safety. The college couldn’t confirm by publication the exact number of buildings.

If voters approve, money would go towards new classrooms, resource centers and athletic facilities, and the creation of the Middle College High School, which can be used for dual enrollment students who want to earn college credits or enter internships. More funding would be allocated for solar-powered shade structures, outdoor lighting and renovations to existing structures. Exact figures were not provided with the district’s report.

None of the money would go towards the salaries or pensions of administrators or teachers.

Supporters present Wednesday included residents, teachers and representatives from local agencies, like the California Federation of Labor and the district’s citizens’ oversight committee.

“We’re preparing for the next one hundred (years),” said Paul Kaminski, president of the college’s foundation. “We’re paying it forward for the next generation that are going to come behind us.”

More than a dozen of the local 562 Southwest Carpenters, clad in orange vests, came directly from work to attend and voice their support. Local 562 treasurer Ray Lawson pointed to some union workers involved in construction on the school’s new music building. “We’re talking about local workers here that live here in Signal Hill, here in Long Beach,” he added.

The proposal also recommended setting aside funds to construct affordable housing, something officials said remains a struggle to find for “more than half” of its students.

About 63% of students in the 2023-24 school year received some form of need-based financial aid, according to a district spokesperson.

The recommended improvements trend high among likely voters in a 2023 survey the college commissioned FM3 Research to conduct.

Of 644 respondents, pollsters found that most supported improvements to the drinking water (79%), seismic standards (72%) and upgrades to campus security (68%). Repairing the school’s deteriorating Veterans Stadium and construction of student housing polled near the bottom of the list.

Renovations to Veterans Stadium were not included in the measure’s capital list.

Little to no opposition to the bond came before the board Wednesday. Some made references to the $298 million bond that trustees scrapped in 2022, amid poor polling and similar fears that officials felt spelled a public reluctance to further saddle homeowners with debt.

LBCCD Board President Vivian Malauulu said the measure would be subject to strict accountability requirements, including a yearly audit and oversight by a citizen-led committee.

At least 55% of voters in the district — Long Beach, Signal Hill, Avalon and Lakewood — must approve the ballot measure in November for it to pass.

If it does pass it would be the third bond approved for the college in nearly two decades, joining the nearly $1.3 billion approved since 2008 for upgrades and expansion at the college.

The last bond, titled Measure LB, was approved in a 2016 referendum with 63% of the vote for many of the same fixes enumerated in the latest report — to fund construction, renovation and repairs at either campus.

“We’ve heard from residents, homeowners, apprentices, journeymen, members of the foundation,” Ntuk said. “I think there’s broad support for this. If you look at this historically — in 2006, 2008, 2016 — the community has always stood with the college and made that decision to invest.”

This decision Wednesday came hours after the Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to put forward a record $9 billion bond to pay for school improvements districtwide. It’s $1 billion shy of the $10 billion statewide school bond that has also been placed on the ballot in November.

About $1.5 billion of the state bond, upon passage, would be allocated towards community colleges, including LBCC.