San Mateo County Community College District Bond Issue, Measure H (November 2014)

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A San Mateo County Community College District Bond Issue, Measure H ballot question was on the November 4, 2014 election ballot for voters in the San Mateo County Community College District in San Mateo County, California. It was approved.

Measure H authorized the district to increase its debt by $388 million through issuing general obligation bonds in that amount. The bonds would require repayment within 40 years from the date on which the district issues the bonds. The average additional annual property tax levy required to repay these bonds was estimated by district officials to be $8.22 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

At the time of Measure H's approval, San Mateo Community College district operated three college campuses - Cañada College, College of San Mateo and Skyline College - and, as of the beginning of 2014, had about 40,000 students.

District voters narrowly rejected a $564 million bond measure - also called Measure H - in 2011. Although 53.1 percent of voters approved Measure H, it failed to garner the required 55 percent approval rate.

District voters approved two earlier bonds, however. One in 2001 for $207 million and one in 2005 for $468 million.

A district parcel tax of $34 per year per parcel expired in 2014, and district officials decided against trying to renew the tax.

A 55 percent supermajority vote was required for the approval of Measure H.

Election results

San Mateo County Community College District, Measure H
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		102,615	66.2%
No		52,350	33.8%

Election results via: San Mateo County Registrar of Voters

Text of measure

Ballot question

The question on the ballot:

“

To prepare College of San Mateo, Cañada College and Skyline College students for universities and high-demand jobs; modernize math and science classrooms and labs; upgrade computer, biotechnology and job training facilities; upgrage access for disabled students; ensure classrooms meet earthquake, fire and safety requirements; and replace aging infrastructure with energy efficient systems, shall San Mateo County Community College District issue $388,000,000 in bonds within legal limits, with annual independent audits, Citizen's Oversight and all proceeds benefiting your local community colleges? (quote)

”

Impartial analysis

The impartial analysis provided for Measure H is available here.

Full text

The full text of Measure H is available here.

Support

Supporters

The following individuals signed the official arguments in support of Measure H:

• Barbara Christensen
• State Sen. Jerry Hill (R-5)
• Kathleen Tyson, president of the North and Central San Mateo County League of Women Voters
• Alan Talansky, chair of the Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee
• Alicia Aguirre, former mayor of Redwood City
• Helen Hausman, member of San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame

A campaign called Yes for San Mateo County Community Colleges was started to urge voters to approve Measure H.

Arguments in favor

Supporters of Measure H argued that, as funding is cut and the University of California and California State University are turning away more and more applicants, community college has become the only option for many students, making quality community college campuses of paramount importance for the community. They pointed out that the community college district offers the opportunity for students to earn a bachelor's degree without leaving San Mateo County, increasing the education and expertise level in the county and helping students attain higher paying jobs. Supporters also argued that repairs and safety improvements should be done now before deterioration requires the shut down of the school for more expensive, large-scale maintenance or a real safety hazard for students.

The official argument in favor of Measure H concluded by saying:

“	Our community colleges help our local economy thrive by providing top-quality, affordable higher education, high-tech career training, and the well-trained nurses, firfighters and police officers that keep San Mateo County strong. Join us - vote YES on H.	”
—Barbara Christensen, Sen. Jerry Hill (R-5), Kathleen Tyson, Alan Talansky, Alicia Aguirre and Helen Hausman

Editorials

• The San Mateo Daily Journal published an editorial supporting Measure H, in which the Daily Journal editorial board argued that the Measure H bond measure will be put to good use by modernizing college campus classrooms and facilities to allow for more advanced training in the fields of science, health care and engineering, which are becoming more prevalent career paths. Selected excerpts of the editorial are below:

“	The district has made significant improvements to its campuses through two earlier bond measures in the last decade and a half. A walk through any of the campuses will show shining, roomy and state-of-the-art facilities ready to prepare students for 21st-century jobs that are significantly different than what the colleges were focusing on when the campuses were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. Back then, architecture, aviation and welding were key. Now, science, health care and engineering are developing into more popular career paths. Ensuring that the district is able to have facilities to meet this growing career path is essential to best serve San Mateo County’s population. Those who walk through the campuses and are impressed by their current conditions may wonder why this bond is necessary. After all, they look pretty nice. The two previous bonds were $207 million in 2001, along with a $468 million measure in 2005. That’s a substantial amount and part of the reason why the Daily Journal was against the district’s $564 million Measure H modernization bond measure on the November 2011 ballot. Now, the district is asking for a more modest amount than over half a billion dollars. Though $388 million is no small sum, it shows the district’s willingness to scale back plans and complete just essential projects. With this bond, Cañada College will get a new science building and Skyline College will get a multi-disciplinary building. Labs and classrooms will be modernized or constructed to poise the district and its students for the future. Basic infrastructure will be addressed and technology will be updated for modern teaching. It will also provide space for the district to be ready to provide some four-year degrees in a public institution — something in which the county currently lacks. In short, this is an investment into our future as a community and our students who rely on these three campuses for their goals and aspirations. The amount requested is relatively small, $8.22 a year per $100,000 assessed property value. For an $800,000 home, that’s $65.76 a year. For the average home owner, these bond costs add up, but the future of our colleges and community, the investment is well worth it.	”
—San Mateo Daily Journal editorial board

Opposition

Opponents

Mark W. A. Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, signed the official arguments in opposition to Measure H on behalf of the association.

Arguments against

Hinkle argued that Measure H would cost the taxpayers huge amounts in interest, estimating the total cost to taxpayers, including interest, for the $388 million bond issue would be $679 million or more. He also pointed out that it is foolish to take out a loan to buy new computers and technology - one of the stated purposes of Measure H - because taxpayers will still be paying off the debt long after the new technology is outdated again. Hinkle also implied that brand new classrooms are not necessary for a good education, saying that new, perfect facilities would be nice for teachers and students but questioning whether they would add real value to the education received at county community colleges.

The official argument in opposition to Measure H also included the following statement questioning the real need of the district:

“	The District claims it wants to make sure classrooms meet "earthquake, fire and safety requirements." If this were true, then why haven't they taken care of this before allowing students to use the facilities? If this concern were legitimate, then they should not be using the facilities at all, until they are safe. If the facilities are safe, then this cannot be a legitimate concern.	”
—Mark W. A. Hinkle, president of the Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association

Related measures

• San Mateo Community College District bond proposition, Measure H (November 2011) d

See also

• Local school bonds on the ballot
• School bond elections in California
• San Mateo County, California ballot measures
• November 4, 2014 ballot measures in California

External links

Suggest a link

• San Mateo County Elections Office website