LBCC nu Aerial

Long Beach City College’s Liberal Arts Campus. Photos courtesy of LBCC.

Next Tuesday, Long Beach voters have the opportunity to decide on Measure LB, a bond issue which, if passed, would provide $850 million to Long Beach City College (LBCC) for major upgrades and renovations to both its Liberal Arts and Pacific Coast campuses.

The need for these improvements has been described by LBCC’s Board of Trustees as “urgent and critical.”   

The funds for Measure LB, which would be subject to citizen oversight and independent audits, would be obtained by placing a tax on residential property within the LBCC’s district boundaries. The district includes all of Long Beach, parts of Lakewood, all of Signal Hill, and Catalina Island. 

The estimated rate for this new property tax is $25 per $100,000 of assessed property value. For a home worth $400,000, that works out to an annual investment by the homeowner of $100 in LBCC. 

Annual enrollment at LBCC, which opened in 1927, totals about 30,000 students. 

LBCC Quad

LBCC’s auditorium, in a photo from 1959.

In the sample ballot for the June 7 election, the Long Beach Taxpayers Association has called LBCC’s transparency into question vis-a-vis the Measure LB funds, and has accused LBCC of being vague about Measure LB project details.

PCCIn their rebuttal argument, supporters of the Measure LB have countered by noting that LBCC’s website displays audits for each year of their bond program, which began in 2008.  The rebuttal also includes a description of a Citizens’ Oversight Committee, which will act as a community watchdog, reviewing the use of all bond funds and providing annual reports to the community.  

“Once started, all past projects have come in under or at budget,” said the Measure LB supporters in the sample ballot.  

Many of LBCC’s buildings on both campuses were built in the 1940s and 1950s and are in need of repairs and upgrades. 

It will take approximately 25 years to generate the 850 million dollars, which would be utilized by LBCC to fix leaky roofs, change sewer and gas lines, carry out campus-wide disabled access projects, bring all structures up to earthquake safety code, and implement additional energy-efficient infrastructure. 

Job training partnerships at LBCC would be expanded with revenues from Measure LB.  

In addition, Measure LB would benefit career technical education programs at LBCC by providing them with a chance to come up to speed, technologically.  

“Measure LB would give our faculty members the facilities, resources and tools they need to continue to provide a top-notch education to our students and community for many decades to come,” said LBCC Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley. 

“Long Beach City College offers local students an affordable alternative to the high cost of a college education,” said Oakley. “By improving our classrooms and facilities, we can continue to provide students with the quality education they need to succeed.”

For more information about Measure LB, please visit www.lbcc.edu/bondmeasure.