Measure P — the Santa Barbara City College bond on the ballot — is a great investment for the community. SBCC has only had one successful bond since 1973, for $77 million in 2008. Only one bond in more than 50 years is not enough to keep Santa Barbara City College a great institution.
Santa Barbara City College has invested much in maintenance and repair over the years, but buildings only last so long. The current physical education building was built in the 1960s. It needs to be replaced. The proposed new Physical Education Building Replacement Project will quality SBCC to receive tens of millions of dollars of state funds that will not be available later. Also, construction would cost more later than now.
Local students deserve top-notch SBCC facilities. It is important that the community protect its investment in the college. Measure P is a prudent proposal that will not increase the tax rate for SBCC above the $8.50 per hundred thousand dollars of assessed value approved in 2008. The assessed value of many properties is below, often considerably below, market value and can increase only 2 percent per year.