$135M bond proposal ahead in a narrow race
A proposal to infuse millions of dollars into Santa Monica College facilities was narrowly passing as of early Wednesday. The measure needed 55 percent approval by Santa Monica and Malibu voters.
Measure S, a $135 million bond proposed by SMC was up 15,226 to 10,638 with 42 out of 81 precincts reporting at 1:40 a.m. The ballot measure had 59 percent approval at presstime.
Hundreds of thousands dollars were spent campaigning in favor of Measure S, which had broad support from community organizations, political groups and local leaders. The measure had minimal opposition.
The money would be used to build and upgrade several buildings at SMC, buy new open space in Santa Monica and Malibu, and develop other properties owned by the city.
Measure S is the second SMC bond proposal in 2 1/2 years. It would cost the average Santa Monica homeowner $77 in the first year. The average renter would pay $13 in the first year.
Officials have targeted two possible projects in the city of Santa Monica that part of the bond money would go toward.
The first is to develop an early childhood development school which could serve the city’s childcare needs and whose facility will be used by SMC students as a laboratory. No site has been picked for the estimated $7 million project, though officials are currently looking at the Civic Center area next to City Hall and the courthouse.
The other possible project would be to develop athletic fields that could serve residents primarily in the afternoons, evenings and weekends, and SMC sports programs in the mornings. Like Santa Monica, SMC is severely short of field space and has earmarked $37 million for the project.
However, none of the projects are final because talks between City Hall and SMC were tabled until after the election.
Also on the “to-do” list are a variety of SMC projects, including the $24 million Madison Theater for performing arts, a $20 million career center, a $20 million fitness building and $2 million in upgrades to promote energy savings. College officials have set aside another $25 million to purchase land in Malibu, which could then be used as athletic fields and for other purposes, including an advanced Malibu sewer system that SMC students would monitor as part of their studies.
Although it received widespread support and voters approved the bond, it was-n’t without controversy.
In the past several months, SMC faced criticism over an emergency meeting of its board, called days after the board rejected the original bond proposal for $175 million in August. The bond proposal was reduced by $40 million and SMC trustees shaved off many of the longer-term projects. However, many criticized the decision because the board met with minimal notice to the public.
After college officials slashed tens of millions of dollars from the original proposal, the SMC board of trustees voted unanimously in favor of the revised measure at a special meeting called by Margaret Quinones, the chairwoman of the board. The day of the meeting was the last possible day the board could have accepted a bond measure and gotten it on the ballot.
Whereas the previous plan proposed $75 million in projects at SMC, $75 million in joint efforts with Santa Monica City Hall and $25 million in joint projects with Malibu City Hall, the new bond proposed just $45 million for joint projects with Santa Monica City Hall and a slightly reduced amount for SMC.
SMC officials also were criticized by the public and city officials for introducing the bond in June, which is considered late in the political process. College officials said they were forced to wait on announcing the bond proposal because they were wary of flooding the ballot with too many school funding measures. Up until May, it was unclear if a group of school parents were going to force a controversial charter amendment to the vote. That effort died after City Hall agreed to give the local school district $6 million annually for the next five years.
A phone survey of 400 residents conducted by SMC in July found 69 percent approved of the bond. Recent door-to-door polling of more than 10,000 residents shows approval of the bond even higher, at 72 percent, SMC officials said.
In the meantime, SMC is still spending proceeds from Measure U, which passed in 2002 and authorized $160 million in college facility bonds.
With the passage of Measure S, SMC would have a total of $247 million in bonds.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 3, 2004. Read the original PDF.