Measure P
Maintaining Affordable, High-Quality College and Job Training Without Increasing Tax Rates
About Measure P on the November 2024 Ballot
Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) has provided affordable college education and career training to local students for over 100 years. Offering a wide range of high‑quality undergraduate degrees, university‑transfer courses, dual enrollment, certificate programs, career and technical education, SBCC provides affordable access to the education and job training students need to succeed and the skilled workers needed to fuel our local economy.
Providing Affordable Access to Higher Education
With the rising cost of four‑year colleges and universities, nearly half of local students rely on community colleges like SBCC for affordable higher education at a fraction of the cost of Cal State, University of California (UC) and private universities.
Students attend SBCC’s Cliff Campus and downtown Cosmetology Academy, as well as its Schott and Wake Campuses, which provide wide-ranging noncredit and fee-based adult education and community programs through the School of Extended Learning.
SBCC provides local students who can’t afford high university prices with an opportunity to succeed in college and their future careers. In fact, in 2023 SBCC ranked fourth among California community colleges for student transfers to the UC system.
Aging Classrooms, Labs and Job Training Facilities
While SBCC has served the community well for decades, most college facilities were built over 60 years ago and need repairs and upgrades to meet current academic and safety standards. Some classrooms were built so long ago that they have asbestos and lead pipes, and do not meet current earthquake safety standards. In 2019, SBCC prepared a Facilities Master Plan (FMP) that evaluates the condition of all college facilities, identifies needed improvements and provides a plan to upgrade classrooms.
Measure P: Upgrading SBCC Facilities Without Increasing Tax Rates
To repair and upgrade aging college facilities, the SBCC Board of Trustees voted to
place Measure P, a $198 million facilities improvement bond measure, on the November
2024 ballot. Measure P would simply extend the current bond tax rate previously approved
by voters of $8.50 per $100,000 of assessed (not market) value.
If approved by voters, Measure P would provide funding to:
- Provide modern science labs, career training facilities and equipment so students are prepared for in-demand careers in fields like nursing, health sciences, engineering, chemistry, technology and skilled trades
- Repair or replace leaky roofs, old rusty plumbing and faulty electrical systems
- Remove hazardous materials like asbestos and lead pipes where needed
- Upgrade older buildings so they meet current health and building safety codes and ensure proper access for students with disabilities
- Retrofit older buildings so they are earthquake safe
- Modernize classrooms, labs and equipment to keep pace with current industry standards
Measure P Ensures Continued Fiscal Accountability
Measure P includes strict accountability and local control requirements, including:
- Measure P would help SBCC qualify for state matching funds that would otherwise go to other communities
- By law, all funds from Measure P may only be used to improve SBCC facilities
- No funds from Measure P could be taken away by the State or diverted to other uses
- An independent citizens’ oversight committee, mandatory annual audits and public disclosure of all Measure P spending would be required
- No funds raised by Measure P could be used for administrator salaries or benefits
- Measure P would not increase tax rates beyond the amount already approved by voters