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# SMC building a war chest
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/smc-building-a-war-chest-editor/
- Published: 2004-10-20T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:19:03.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Ocean Park, #archive-import

*By Tom Fakehany Santa Monica*

A curmudgeon is simply a voter who doesn’t take his education too seriously and doesn’t believe everything he sees or reads. I am astonished that Santa Monica Community College Trustees have been able to hide from the Santa Monica voter that $100 million of Measure U money has not been spent on SMC construction and reconstruction. The Santa Monica voters are keeping themselves in the dark as to the real need for more SMC campus improvement money — Prop S. What did the SMC Trustees do with the $100 million left over from Measure U? Is the SMC Board of Trustees involved in a $100 million cover-up or are they just plain slothful in gathering the genuine facts and requesting an additional bond measure — Prop S? What about the $25 million bribe to the Malibu City Council for their support of Prop S?

Did only $60 million of the $160 million go into building and rebuilding the current SMC campus? The SMC Board of Trustees, in a sweetheart deal, purchased two buildings (also part of the $60 million) next to the Santa Monica Airport (an unsafe location for classrooms). The trustees are negotiating to lease these buildings to the privately owned West LA University School of Law. This transaction is headlined by the “Ocean Park Gazette” in their Oct. 12, 2004 edition. Under the Field Act, the buildings the SMC Trustees purchased are too treacherous for community college classrooms to be used by the public college, but can be used by the privately owned university. Yes, with the Measure U bond money SMC Trustees are becoming landlords. Now they want more of our money to purchase buildings and open space when they are harboring $100 million of unspent bond money.

Remember, senior citizens, study Prop S carefully as there are no senior exemptions.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 20, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/102004.pdf?ref=smdp.com)