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LWV League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Smart Voter
San Joaquin, Alameda, Sacramento Counties, CA March 2, 2004 Election
Measure L
Bonds
San Joaquin Delta Community College District

55% Approval Required

58,484 / 56.8% Yes votes ...... 44,408 / 43.2% No votes
   55445 (57.7%) Yes / 40713 (42.3%) No in San Joaquin County
   30 (53.6%) Yes / 26 (46.4%) No in Alameda County
   3,009 (45.1%) Yes / 3,669 (54.9%) No in Sacramento County

See Also: Index of all Measures

Results as of Mar 29 4:57pm, 100.0% of Precincts Reporting (494/494)
99.9% Voter Turnout (96764/4)
  Includes 463/463 Precincts in San Joaquin County as of Mar 29 4:57pm
  Includes 3/3 Precincts in Alameda County as of May 4 2:39pm
  Includes 28/28 Precincts in Sacramento County as of Mar 29 7:57am
Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments | Tax Rate Statement | Full Text

To prepare students for jobs/transfer to four year colleges, repair buildings, improve safety, accommodate growing enrollment by repairing leaky roofs, decaying walls, electrical wiring; improving fire safety; removing asbestos; expanding/establishing Stockton, Manteca, Tracy, Lodi/Galt, Foothill Area campuses/education centers; upgrading, acquiring, constructing, equipping buildings, sites, classrooms; shall San Joaquin Delta Community College District issue $250,000,000 in bonds, at legal rates, with citizen oversight, guaranteed annual audits and no money for administrators' salaries?

Impartial Analysis from San Joaquin County Counsel
Approval of Measure L would allow the San Joaquin Delta Community College District (the "District") to incur bonded indebtedness up to a maximum amount of $250 Million. The issuance and sale of such general obligation bonds would be for preparing students for jobs or fouryear colleges, for repairing buildings, for improving safety, and for accommodating growing enrollments. These express uses of bond proceeds would be accomplished by repairing leaky roofs, decaying walls and electrical wiring; by improving fire safety; by removing asbestos; by expanding/establishing Stockton, Manteca, Tracy, Lodi/ Galt, Foothill area campuses/education centers; by upgrading, acquiring, constructing, equipping buildings, sites and classrooms.

No funds derived from bond sales could be used for administrators' salaries, or for any purpose or project other than those expressly stated in Measure L.

To assure that funds derived from bond sales authorized by Measure L are spent only for the purposes expressly stated in Measure L, and for no other purposes, Measure L would require the District to: 1) appoint an independent citizens' oversight committee; and 2) conduct annual independent financial audits.

If Measure L is approved, and bonds are authorized and sold, the principal thereof and interest thereon shall be payable from the proceeds of tax levies made upon the taxable property in the District. If Measure L is approved, the tax rate necessary for payment of principal and interest on any bonds sold will be largely dictated by the timing of the bond sales, the amount sold at a given sale, market interest rates at the time of each sale (although in no event greater than the maximum bond net interest rate allowed by law), as well as actual assessed valuation of taxable property in the District over the term of repayment. A statement of the tax rate data required by Elections Code Section 9401 will be mailed to all registered voters with the sample ballot for the bond election.

Approval of Measure L does not guarantee that the proposed project or projects in the District that are available for funding from the proceeds of bonds authorized and sold will be funded beyond the local revenues generated by the bond sales authorized by Measure L. Passage of Measure L requires approval by fifty-five percent of the voters voting thereon.

 
Suggest a link related to Measure L
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Arguments For Measure L
Help San Joaquin Delta College+VOTE YES ON L.

For nearly 70 years, our College and Education Centers have provided excellent, affordable education to students throughout San Joaquin Valley. College programs provide a skilled workforce, train students for better paying jobs, and prepare students for transfer to 4-year universities. Our police, fire safety, emergency medical services and nursing programs train thousands of professionals who keep our citizens safe and healthy.

Unfortunately, the age of our buildings threaten quality education. Classrooms, computer labs and libraries are more than 30 years old, and need upgrades to accommodate modern technology. Outdated fire safety equipment needs replacement, asbestos/hazardous materials must be removed.

New classrooms and computer labs will accommodate expanded job training programs. As a result, Measure L will help to provide a better-educated workforce, which will benefit local business and stimulate our economy. Faculty, staff, students and community members identified urgent priorities, which are less expensive to address now, than in the future. Measure L will:

  • Repair leaky roofs;
  • Replace decaying walls;
  • Upgrade wiring;
  • Improve fire safety;
  • Remove asbestos;
  • Expand Education Centers and classrooms.

Because the University of California and California State University systems are becoming so expensive, more students are relying on our College for affordable education. Measure L will expand educational programs throughout our region, the fifth-fastest growing in California.

Measure L is subject to tough fiscal accountability requirements.

Financial audits MUST be published annually, with all expenditures monitored by an independent Citizens Oversight Committee to ensure funds are spent as specified in the Bond Plan.

By law, the Bond Oversight Committee must include senior, taxpayer, and business representatives, among others. NO district employees or vendors can serve, and NO bond money can be spent on administrative salaries.

VOTE YES on L for quality education.

s/DOUGLAS C. RATTO, Retired Fire Chief
s/DR. PATRICIA HATTON, M.D., Past President,
San Joaquin Medical Society
s/DOUGLASS W. WILHOIT, JR., CEO,
Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce
s/LAWRENCE A. DE RICCO, Former Superintendent/
President, San Joaquin Delta Community College District, Retired
s/DR. TOD ANTON, Ed.D., Former Superintendent,
Lincoln Unified School District, Retired

(No arguments against Measure L were submitted)

Tax Rate Statement from The Superintendent of the Community College Distirct
An election will be held in San Joaquin Delta Community College District (the "District") on March 2, 2004, for the purpose of submitting to the electors of the District the question of incurring a bonded indebtedness of the District in a principal amount of $250 million. If such bonds are authorized and sold, the principal thereof and interest thereon will be payable from the proceeds of tax levies made upon the taxable property in the District. The following information regarding tax rates is given to comply with Section 9401 of the California Elections Code. Such information is based upon the best estimates and projections presently available from official sources, upon experience within the District, and other demonstrable factors.

Based upon the foregoing and projections of the District's assessed valuation, and assuming the entire debt service will be paid through property taxation:

1. The best estimate of the tax which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue during the first fiscal year after the sale of the first series of bonds based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement is $17.00 per $100,000 of assessed valuation for the year 2004-05.

2. The best estimate from official sources of the tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue during the first fiscal year after the last sale of the bonds and an estimate of the year in which that rate will apply based on estimated assessed valuations available at the time of filing of this statement, is $17.00 per $100,000 of assessed valuation for the year 2019-20.

3. The best estimate of the highest tax rate which would be required to be levied to fund the bond issue and an estimate of the year in which that rate will apply, based on estimated assessed valuation available at the time of filing of this statement is $17.00 per $100,000 of assessed valuation for the year 2019-20.

Attention to all voters is directed to the fact that the foregoing information is based upon projections and estimates only. The actual times of sales of said bonds and the amount sold at any given time will be governed by the needs of the District and other factors. The actual interest rates at which the bonds will be sold, which in any event will not exceed the maximum permitted by law, will depend upon the bond market at the time of sales. The actual assessed values in the future years will depend upon the value of property within the District as determined in the assessment and the equalization process. Hence, the actual tax rates and the years in which such rates are applicable may vary from those presently estimated as above stated.

s/RAUL RODRIGUEZ
Superintendent/President
San Joaquin Delta Community College District

Full Text of Measure L
The following is the full proposition presented to the voters of the San Joaquin Delta Community College District. "San Joaquin Delta College Repair/Job Training Measure: To prepare students for jobs/transfer to four year colleges, repair buildings, improve safety, accommodate growing enrollment by:
  • Repairing leaky roofs, decaying walls, electrical wiring;
  • Improving fire safety;
  • Removing asbestos;
  • Expanding/establishing Stockton, Manteca, Tracy, Lodi/ Galt, Foothill Area campuses/education centers;
  • Upgrading, acquiring, constructing, equipping buildings, sites, classrooms; shall San Joaquin Delta Community College District issue $250,000,000 in bonds, at legal rates, with citizen oversight, guaranteed annual audits and no money for administrators'salaries?"

    Bonds - Yes Bonds - No

PROJECTS
The Board of Trustees of the San Joaquin Delta Community College District evaluated the District's urgent and critical facility needs, including safety issues, aging facilities, enrollment growth, class size and availability, energy reduction and information and computer technology, in developing the scope of projects to be funded, as outlined in the San Joaquin Delta College Facilities Master Plan, incorporated herein, and as shall be further amended from time to time. In developing the scope of projects, the faculty, staff and students have prioritized the key repair, job training, health and safety needs so that the most critical needs are addressed. The Board of Trustees conducted independent facilities evaluations and received public input and review in developing the scope of college facility projects to be funded, as listed in the Facilities Master Plan. This input of faculty, community and business leaders concluded that if these needs were not addressed now, the problems would only get worse. In preparing the Facilities Master Plan the Board of Trustees made six important determinations:
(i) Statewide budget cuts are damaging San Joaquin Delta College's ability to provide high-quality affordable education for local students;
(ii) San Joaquin Delta College must add new Education Centers and classrooms throughout the District, not just in Stockton, to meet the rapid growth in the San Joaquin Valley which has resulted in thousands of new students seeking an affordable local educational and job training opportunities;
(iii) San Joaquin Delta College must continue to provide facilities and specialized job training programs in nursing, fire safety, emergency medical services and policing to meet the needs of local communities;
(iv) In tough economic times it is critically important for San Joaquin Delta College to provide facilities for expanded job and vocational training to students and adults seeking to acquire job skills that will bene- fit local businesses and stimulate our economy;
(v) It is less expensive to construct, upgrade and repair aging/outdated classrooms and facilities now, than in the future and if this need is not addressed now, the problems will only get worse; and
(vi) Because University of California and California State University systems are becoming more expensive, more people rely on community colleges, therefore San Joaquin Delta College must be upgraded so it can provide local students with a high quality education they might not otherwise receive.

The Facilities Master Plan is on file at the District's Office of the Superintendent/President and includes the following projects:

DELTA COLLEGE - STOCKTON CAMPUS

  • Repair, Upgrade, and/or Replace Aging Obsolete Classrooms, Library, Science Labs, Instructional Facilities, Sites and Utilities: Repair, renovate and/or replace deteriorating roofs, corroding pipes, plumbing, sewer, drainage, electrical systems, wiring, bathrooms, telecommunications, foundations, classrooms, fields and grounds, science laboratories, lecture halls, upgrade 30 year old library to include computer technology and more study areas, planetarium, child development center, and other facilities; wire classrooms for computers and technology, increase campus security, installation and repair of fire safety equipment, including alarms, smoke detectors, sprinklers, emergency lighting, fire safety doors, increase energy efficiency; relocate facilities and field lab at Mountain Ranch; reduce operating costs and improve job training and academic instruction, and meet legal requirements for disabled access. * Safety Improvements; Hazardous Materials Removal: Upgrade existing fire alarms, sprinklers, smoke detectors, intercoms and fire doors; install security systems, exterior lighting, emergency lighting, door locks and fences, install emergency power generators and replace outdated switchgear; remove hazardous materials. * Expand Job Training and Academic Classrooms, Library and Facility Capacity: Increase classroom capacity for academic and job training classes, including math, business, english, science (including biology, chemistry, physical science) labs, library, physical and health education facilities; repair administration wing; build, upgrade, repair, equip, or expand student services buildings to include academic and job training and counseling centers, study areas, lecture/meeting/seminar rooms, computer hook-up and other student support, as well as fine and performing arts, auto tech yard, labs, shops; relocate and build maintenance building to support facilities and free up classroom space.

* Energy Efficiency Improvements; Repair, Replace and Upgrade Electrical, Mechanical, and Energy Systems To Reduce Energy Consumption: Replace old energy systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and related utility systems; energy efficiency projects designed to increase effi- ciency. * Information Technology Wiring and Equipment: Upgrade electrical systems and wiring for computer technology and Internet access; upgrade and replace outdated technology including computers, laboratory equipment and classroom furnishings. * Refinance Existing Lease Obligations To Lower Interest Rates and Increase Funds Available For Instruction and Ongoing Maintenance of Classrooms and Buildings.
  • Safety and Security; Sites; Site Accessibility; Improve Emergency Access: Improve pedestrian access routes across campus for safety; improve campus safety and security by adding exterior lighting; implement safety upgrades to relieve gridlock, traffic flow and parking congestion; redesign campus walkways to eliminate unsafe conditions; repair or replace outdated natural gas, water, sewer, storm drain systems; add parking facilities to accommodate increasing student population; remove dangerous asbestos; acquire property to expand student capacity, increase access for emergency vehicles.

SAN JOAQUIN DELTA COLLEGE - EDUCATION CENTERS
  • Establish an Expanded San Joaquin Delta College Education Center in Tracy/Mountain House Area to Accommodate Growth and Increasing Student Enrollment: Provide permanent classrooms, labs, library, job training and college transfer counseling facilities in Phase 1 of the Mountain House (Tracy area) Education Center. * Expand San Joaquin Delta College Education Center in Manteca to Accommodate Growth and Increasing Student Enrollment: Build a new academic classroom building and upgrade existing classrooms and agricultural buildings to allow more students access to an affordable education. Relocate viticulture program to Manteca Farm. * Establish San Joaquin Delta College Education Center in Lodi/Galt Area to Accommodate Growth and Increasing Student Enrollment: Acquire a site(s) in the Lodi/Galt area to provide permanent classrooms, labs, job training and college transfer counseling buildings facilities, and allow local students greater access to an affordable education. * Establish San Joaquin Delta College Education Center in Mother Lode/Foothills Area to Accommodate Growth and Increasing Student Enrollment: Acquire a site(s) in the Mother Lode/Foothills area to provide permanent classrooms, labs, job training and college transfer counseling buildings facilities, and allow local students greater access to an affordable education. Classrooms will be funded from a combination of local bond money and State matching funds.

Listed repairs, rehabilitation projects and upgrades will be completed as needed. Each project is assumed to include its share of equipment, architectural, engineering, and similar planning costs, construction management, and a customary contingency for unforeseen design and construction costs. The allocation of bond proceeds will be affected by the District's receipt of State bond funds and the final costs of each project. The budget for each project is an estimate and may be affected by factors beyond the District's control. The final cost of each project will be determined as plans are finalized, construction bids are awarded, and projects are completed.

The bond program is designed to provide facilities which will serve current and expected enrollment. In the event of an unexpected slowdown in development or enrollment of students at the college, certain of the projects described above will be delayed or may not be completed. In such case, bond money will be spent on only the most essential of the projects listed above. The District will work with the Citizens' Oversight Committee on prioritizing those projects in the event factors beyond the District's control require that project be reconsidered.

FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY. THE EXPENDITURE OF BOND MONEY ON THESE PROJECTS IS SUBJECT TO STRINGENT FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIREMENTS. BY LAW, PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL AUDITS WILL BE PERFORMED ANNUALLY, AND ALL BOND EXPENDITURES WILL BE MONITORED BY AN INDEPENDENT CITIZENS' OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO ENSURE THAT FUNDS ARE SPENT AS PROMISED AND SPECIFIED. THE CITIZENS' OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MUST INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS, REPRESENTATION OF A BONA FIDE TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION, A BUSINESS ORGANIZATION AND A SENIOR CITIZENS ORGANIZATION. NO DISTRICT EMPLOYEES OR VENDORS ARE ALLOWED TO SERVE ON THE CITIZENS' OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.

NO ADMINISTRATOR SALARIES. PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE BONDS AUTHORIZED BY THIS PROPOSITION SHALL BE USED ONLY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, RECONSTRUCTION, ACQUISITION, REHABILITATION, OR REPLACEMENT OF COLLEGE FACILITIES, INCLUDING THE FURNISHING AND EQUIPPING OF COLLEGE FACILITIES, AS DESCRIBED, AND NOT FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE, INCLUDING FACULTY, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATOR SALARIES AND OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES. BY LAW, ALL FUNDS CAN ONLY BE SPENT ON THE DESCRIBED PROJECTS.


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Created: May 4, 2004 14:45 PDT
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