Bond Background

Board of Trustees Actions

Bond Project List

Frequently Asked Questions

Measure V is the Santa Barbara City College Improvement Measure on the June 3, 2008 ballot. Measure V asks voters to approve a $77.2 million bond that will qualify SBCC for up to $92 million in state matching funds for eleven projects. Ten of these projects involve renovation of existing facilities. One project is to provide the required SBCC funding for the School of Media Arts facility to house existing high tech career programs. This environmentally sustainable, LEED certified building has been planned for many years and has been approved by the California Coastal Commission.

Santa Barbara City College works hard to meet the educational needs of our local community, however, most of Santa Barbara City College’s facilities are over 40 years old, and due to state budget reductions for scheduled maintenance over the past 10 years, repairs are needed now. Santa Barbara City College must upgrade leaky roofs; update and renovate deteriorated classrooms, buildings and laboratories to train students in new technologies and prepare for jobs of the future; renovate and convert existing space in order to expand nursing, health care programs, and other career, vocational and continuing education training programs; make all three campuses safer by seismic strengthening of buildings and removal of asbestos, lead and other hazardous materials, Measure V will also allow the campuses to become more sustainable by updating and replacing aging electrical and mechanical systems to reduce energy consumption and utility bills.

Passage of Measure V will allow SBCC to issue up to $77,242,012 in general obligation bonds which will be used to improve facilities and maintain quality, affordable, local higher education at Santa Barbara City College. If the bond passes, property owners will pay an additional $8.50 per $100,000 of assessed value of their real property. Note that the assessed value of a property is not the same as the appraised or market value. This means that a person who owns a home with an assessed valuation of $400,000 would pay approximately $34 more annually in property taxes. The median price of a single family home in the District is $368,000.

SBCC must address some of our critical health and safety needs now. The SBCC District Board of Trustees led a two-year strategic planning process that involved the input of faculty staff, and the community and determined that the urgency of the needs called for immediate action. The need for upgrades and repairs will only increase and become more expensive in the future. Also, passage of Measure V will qualify SBCC for over $92 million in state matching funds. If we don’t pass Measure V, some of those funds may be lost and go to other districts. Sixty-eight of the 72 Community College Districts in the state have passed local bonds in the last five years.

Funding for the capital improvement projects may need to be taken from general operating reserves which could ultimately impact student programs.

The proposed bond measure includes specific taxpayer protections:

  • No bond funds can be taken by the state.
  • All bond funds must be spent on specific capital and equipment needs. No money can be spent on teacher salaries or administration.
  • An independent citizens' oversight committee will review all spending and contractor performance.
  • There will be annual financial and performance audits.

The Facilities Improvement Plan is available in the President’s office at (805) 730-4011 or online at sbcc.edu and click "Measure V Information".