On the Ballot: A $990M bond measure for improvements at LBCC's two campuses

Next month, Long Beach residents will vote on a handful of local measures but only the issue placed on the ballot by the Long Beach Community College District Board of Trustees could affect future property taxes.

The district’s five-person board voted unanimously in August to place Measure AC on the ballot, which would give the two-campus district the authority to issue up to $990 million in bonds to upgrade the college's aging facilities. 

To pay for it, property taxes would be increased $25 for every $100,000 of assessed property value and the increased taxes would affect properties across the district’s service area, which includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill and Avalon.

The ballot measure text includes a lengthy project list that the college says it hopes to address if voters approve the bond measure in November. 

It includes things like improving the college’s energy resilience through the installation of new solar panels and other modernization projects at the Trades, Technology and Community Learning Campus on Pacific Coast Highway. 

The bonds could also lead to student housing being built at the Liberal Arts Campus in East Long Beach as well as renovated baseball facilities and a new crossing over Carson Street to better connect the two parts of the LAC campus. 

Other less glamorous repairs include improvements to windows, roofs, drinking fountains and, yes, air conditioning systems. 

While the “AC” stands for “Affordable College,” the ballot material doesn’t mention a lowering of student fees or tuition. 

If passed, the bonds are projected to increase property taxes through 2059, according to a tax rate statement published in Los Angeles County election materials. 

The bonds would require 55% or more voter support to be approved next month. 

Supporters of the bond measure say that it will make needed investments in an aging college that serves as a vital tool for people looking for ways to better themselves through a community college education. There were no formal arguments against Measure AC filed with the county. 

LBCC had had success in getting bond measures approved by voters with the district seeing two measures passed since 2008 totaling $1.3 billion that the college has used to expand and upgrade its campuses. 

The board flirted with asking voters to approve a much smaller bond measure package ($285 million) in 2022 before pulling the plug on the idea when polling showed that support for increased property taxes was not strong amid the high inflation seen last election cycle. 

The district has said that it will pursue outside funds from the state, county or even private partners to try and maximize the bond proceeds’ impact on the two campuses.