88,461 / 65.1% Yes votes ...... 47,449 / 34.9% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

The Coast Community College District has proposed to the voters that general obligation bonds of the community college district be issued in the amount of $370,000,000 and that ad valorem taxes be levied upon taxable property in the district to repay the bonded indebtedness. The measure provides that proceeds from the sale of the bonds will generally be used to improve district facilities at Orange Coast College, Golden West College and Coastline Community College, including renovation, modernization and construction of district buildings and facilities, upgrading security, fire safety, telecommunications, communications, electrical and air systems, construction of a library, additional classrooms, labs and lecture halls, replacement of temporary buildings, and upgrading classroom technology.

The measure provides that a citizens' oversight committee will be established to ensure that bond proceeds are properly expended and that annual performance and financial audits will be conducted. The measure further provides that bond proceeds will not be used for teacher and administrator salaries and other district operating expenses.

The Board of Trustees of the Coast Community College District has called the election for the purpose of submitting the measure to the voters within the district. If 55% of the voters of the district voting on the measure vote yes, the district may proceed to sell the bonds and levy the related taxes as estimated in the Tax Rate Statement. A no vote on this measure will disapprove the issuance of the bonds and the levy of the taxes for such bonded indebtedness.

Orange County Register

• Voters Guide on Measures C & E - Summary, Arguments, For/Against

However, decades-old campus facilities and buildings threaten quality education. Classrooms, labs and libraries need upgrades to accommodate modern technology. Outdated fire safety equipment and drainage systems need replacement. Additional classrooms, laboratories and lecture halls are also needed to accommodate growing enrollment.

Measure C repairs and improves Orange Coast, Golden West and Coastline Community Colleges at a time when other community colleges in California are being forced to cut classes and turn away students.

Faculty, staff and students identified urgent needs, seeking community input on priorities. Hundreds of citizens responded. Our needs are critical -- and less expensive to address now than in the future. Projects include:

• Constructing additional classrooms, laboratories and lecture halls
• Replacing old portable buildings, deteriorating walls, and utility systems from the 1940's
• Improving fire safety and security systems
• Upgrading and improving overcrowded libraries
• Expanding law enforcement and health training academies for police and nursing students

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.

The Bond Oversight Committee will include senior, taxpayer, and business representatives and finance and construction experts. NO district employees or vendors can serve, and NO money can be spent on administrators' salaries.

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 1.626¢ per $100 of assessed valuation for the year 2003-2004.

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 1.844¢ per $100 of assessed valuation for the year 2014-2015.

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 1.861¢ per $100 of assessed valuation for the year 2010-2011.

The average annual tax levy is projected to be $16.76 per $100,000 of real property valuation.

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. Accordingly, the actual tax rates and the years in which such rates are applicable may vary from those presently estimated as above stated.