Santa Rosa Junior College Bond Issue, Measure H (November 2014)

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A Santa Rosa Junior College Bond Issue, Measure H ballot question was on the November 4, 2014 election ballot for voters in the Sonoma County Community College District in Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino counties in California. It was approved.

Upon approval, Measure H authorized the community college district to increase its debt by $410 million through issuing general obligation bonds in that amount in order to upgrade, maintain and improve Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) facilities, classrooms and technology. District officials estimated the additional annual property tax rate required to repay these bonds to be $25 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

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

Election results

a Measure H
County:	Yes		No
	Votes	%	Votes	%
Mendocino County	843	64.06%	473	35.94%
Marin County	69	53.49%	60	46.51%
Sonoma County	86,827	63.1%	50,774	36.9%
Totals:	87,739	63.1%	51,307	36.9%

Measure H
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		87,739	63.1%
No		51,307	36.9%

Election results from Mendocino County Elections Office, Marin County Election Results and Sonoma County Election Results

Text of measure

Ballot question

The question on the ballot appeared as:

“

SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE AFFORDABLE LOCAL EDUCATION, JOB TRAINING MEASURE. To upgrade facilities, prepare students for careers/university transfer, attract quality faculty, keep SRJC current, improve student access, upgrade classrooms/labs/technology for 21st Century science/math skills, modernize career education facilities for vocational engineering, nursing, public safety, agriculture, jobs, meet earthquake/fire codes, acquire, construct/repair classrooms, facilities, sites/equipment, shall Sonoma County Junior College District issue $410,000,000 in bonds at legal rates with citizens’ oversight, annual audits?

”

Impartial analysis

The following impartial analysis was prepared for Measure H by the offices of the county counsels.

“	The California Constitution allows school districts to borrow money by issuing bonds to pay for construction, repair, replacement, and acquisition of school facilities if 55 percent of the voters who vote on the measure approve the sale of the bonds. The Sonoma County Junior College District Board of Trustees has called for an election in Sonoma, Marin, and Mendocino Counties and placed on the ballot the question of whether to issue bonds in the amount of $410 million for construction, repairs, and improvements of District classrooms and school facilities. Money raised by bond sales can be used for the purposes and projects stated in the Project List set forth in the Measure. Projects include but are not limited to constructing, upgrading, and expanding veterans’ support, job training, and other facilities; modernization projects at numerous facilities; repairs of roofs and electrical, plumbing, heating, and mechanical systems; and refinancing or retirement of outstanding lease obligations. As required by state law, the measure prohibits using bond proceeds for teacher or administrator salaries or other operating expenses. The inclusion of a project on the Project List does not guarantee that the project will be funded or completed. Some projects may be undertaken as joint use projects in cooperation with other public or nonprofit agencies. The Project List does not imply any particular prioritization among improvements. If the Measure is adopted, the District’s Board will conduct annual, independent financial and performance audits to ensure that bond proceeds have been expended only on the projects on the Bond Project List. In addition, a Citizens’ Oversight Committee will be established within sixty days of the entry of the election results on the Board’s minutes. The proceeds of the bonds will be maintained in a separate account in the County Treasury, and the Board must receive an annual report on the status of projects undertaken and the amount of bond proceeds received and expended in that year. If the Measure is approved, the District expects to sell the bonds in series over time. The funds to repay the bonds would be raised by an increase in property taxes based upon the value of land and improvements in the District. The interest rate on the bonds would depend on the market rate at the time the bonds are sold, but cannot exceed the rate set by state law. The Tax Rate Statement prepared by the District Superintendent, which follows this analysis, estimates the property tax levies required to pay off the bonds. The estimated tax levies are a projection, and could go up or down, depending on a number of factors including the timing and amount of bond sales, and changes in assessed value of property in the District.	”
—Jeffrey M. Brax, Sonoma County Deputy Counsel, Sheila Shah Lichtblau, Marin County Deputy Counsel and Douglas L. Losak, Acting Mendocino County Counsel

Support

Supporters

Friends of SRJC campaign logo

The campaign in favor of Measure H was supported by a group called Friends of SRJC. The following individuals signed the official arguments in favor of Measure H:

• Dante B. Benedetti, chairman of Clover Stornetta Farms
• Gaye LeBaron, alumnus/columnist/historian
• Albert Maggini, retired trustee
• Willie Tamayo, co-founder, La Tortilla Factory
• Jonathan Coe, president/CEO of the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce

Arguments in favor

The following was submitted as the official arguments in favor of Measure H:

“	Vote Yes on H to upgrade Santa Rosa Junior College, address overcrowding, and prepare students to attend four-year universities and to succeed in 21st-century careers. SRJC is a vital community resource and must stay current. Half of our local high school graduates rely on SRJC for affordable higher education right here in Sonoma County. As the cost of attending a university in California has skyrocketed, more students are relying on community colleges for some or all of their education. This measure will help provide local high school graduates access to high-quality, affordable college options. Local high school graduates need to take courses toward a four-year college degree closer to home. Stronger partnerships with California State University, University of California and other colleges will allow students to take university courses at community college locations. SRJC classrooms and laboratories are overcrowded and out of date, which has limited students’ access to the courses they need. This measure would enable SRJC to better serve more students into the future. If we don’t pass Measure H today, these problems will get worse and more expensive to fix. This measure will support training in public safety, nursing and healthcare, manufacturing and engineering, science, information and communication, technology, automotive and diesel mechanics, agriculture, and others. SRJC must upgrade outdated classrooms, laboratories, and facilities like science and math buildings first constructed in 1955. Measure H has tough accountability requirements to protect taxpayers: All of the funds from this measure will be spent to improve SRJC – not one penny can be taken by the state government, and Sacramento politicians will have no say in how these funds are used. Annual financial audit and independent citizen oversight will ensure funds are used as promised. Join us in voting Yes on H to upgrade SRJC!	”
—Dante B. Benedetti, Gaye LeBaron, Albert Maggini, Willie Tamayo and Jonathan Coe

Opposition

Opponents

The following individuals signed the official arguments in opposition to Measure H:

• Daniel A. Drummond
• Roy D. Thylin
• Timothy J. Hannan
• Bryant R. Moynihan

Arguments against

The following was submitted as the official arguments in opposition to Measure H:

“	Measure H is a whopping $410 million bond measure. If passed, it will become the largest Sonoma County bond issuance ever. And it comes on the heels of Measure A, the SRJC’s $251 million bond that in 2002 was then the largest Sonoma County bond ever issued. With a still unpaid balance of $175 million remaining from Measure A, Measure H is a lot of debt to pile on top of existing debt. But there’s more to this story than the sheer volume of debt involved. The question yet to be answered is why is the college coming back for so much more money so soon? Voters were promised in 2002 that Measure A would build facilities like the new parking garage, library and culinary arts center. We were further promised that Measure A would replace and modernize existing structures on both the Santa Rosa and Petaluma campuses. In fact, the official argument in support of Measure A promised that Measure A would meet the needs of the college for the 21st Century. Why then, are we having this same discussion a mere twelve years later? It gets better. Voters in 2002 were further led to believe that Measure A would qualify for matching state funds. Voters were not told, however, that the availability of any matching funds was contingent upon California voters approving a $13 billion state-wide bond measure in a later election. Withholding information from voters is a breach of the public trust that cannot go unchallenged. Voters are entitled to know the whole story. We are entitled to an honest assessment from college officials, both as to how far our money will go and of any hidden requirements lurking in the background. If voters don’t demand the truth, who will? Vote No on Measure H!	”
—Daniel A. Drummond, Roy D. Thylin, Timothy J. Hannan and Bryant R. Moynihan

See also

• School bond elections in California
• Local school bonds on the ballot
• Marin County, California ballot measures
• Mendocino County, California ballot measures
• Sonoma County, California ballot measures
• November 4, 2014 ballot measures in California

External links

Suggest a link

• Sonoma County Registrar of Voters Office website
• Friends of SRJC website