The Abridged version:
- Los Rios Community College District leaders want voters to approve a $1.1 billion bond measure, used for renovations and repairs across the district’s four main campuses and additional satellite sites.
- Board members approved putting the request on this November’s ballot but not before a lengthy discussion during Wednesday’s meeting.
- The Los Rios board previously authorized limiting the bond measure — including who will vote for it, pay for it and see the improvements — to a subsection of the district, excluding El Dorado County voters.
Los Rios Community College District officials are moving forward with a pricey ask for voters: $1.1 billion in bond funds, directed toward a bevy of campus renovations and repairs.
Districtwide, there are more than $3 billion worth of facility needs, according to a 2025 assessment. From aging buildings to classrooms ill fit for modern education needs, staff identified an extensive to-do list.
At least 55% of voters will need to say yes in November for the measure to pass.
Los Rios oversees American River College, Cosumnes River College, Folsom Lake College and Sacramento City College, plus satellite campuses.
The district encompasses the majority of Sacramento County, the eastern stretch of Yolo County and most of El Dorado County, plus slivers of Placer and Solano Counties. By enrollment, it is the second largest community college district in the state, behind the district in Los Angeles.
However, not everyone living within the Los Rios boundaries will get to weigh in on the billion-dollar proposal.
Trustees in April approved the creation of a subdistrict, carving out El Dorado, Placer and Solano residents. As a result, only Sacramento and Yolo County constituents will vote on, pay for and see nearby facility improvements from the bonds.
What will the money be used for?
District staff drew up an extensive project list, including constructing a new fine arts building for American River College, fixing leaky roofs across multiple campuses, expanding the athletic complex at Folsom Lake College, and much more.
Board President Deborah Ortiz clarified that this was more of a menu than a punch list. With additional revenue from property taxes, staff would aim to complete as much as possible, likely prioritizing projects related to safety or accessibility.
Property owners’ tax rates are not expected to increase, according to a staff report. Instead, current rates — set by the district’s last successfully passed 2008 bond measure — would stretch on, likely until about 2050.
Trustees approved asking voters for the money in a 5-2 vote.
Timing concerns
That approval followed a lengthy board meeting discussion, during which some board members signaled hesitation about moving forward with a bond measure this year.
Trustee Kelly Wilkerson said she was unsure after learning that there would not be a coinciding higher education facilities funding measure from the state this November.
Another board member, John Knight, said he was uneasy about throwing the district’s new chancellor, Torence Powell, into the challenge of campaigning for a bond measure so soon. Wednesday was Powell’s first meeting on the dais.
Ortiz added she worried about mixed messaging from the board.
“We need every trustee to campaign for this,” she said. “The message that we should not send to the voters is that we are a divided board.”
Wilkerson and Ortiz ultimately sided with the ayes; Knight was one of two no votes.
Trustees who voted in favor said they believed the district could not afford to wait, citing ever-increasing construction costs.
‘Fake district’
The other naysayer was Trustee Robert Jones, who is coming to the end of his 20-year tenure after deciding not to run again this fall.
His reasons for objection include what he called the “scummy way” district officials chose to exclude swaths of voters more likely vote against a tax measure.
Under California law, Los Rios officials can draw a subdistrict, known as a school facilities improvement district. In April, the board approved creating the first subdistrict in Los Rios history, with Knight and Jones in opposition.
The new subdistrict excludes El Dorado County, a redder leaning area.
Jones criticized the decision, calling it a “fake district” and “unacceptable.”
Practical boundaries
Officials at Los Rios have said the subdistrict makes sense, given that all but one of the district’s sites are located in Sacramento and Yolo counties.
“You could look at this like we’re trying to pick voters,” said Mario Rodriguez, vice chancellor of finance and administration. “That’s not what’s occurring.”
Rather, he said, the move was made to ensure taxpayers see their dollars go toward investments closer to home.
“Why would someone on the west shores of Lake Tahoe want to pay for an improvement that we have at our Davis Center,” Rodriguez said. “That makes no sense.”
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged by PBS KVIE team and contribute to a crucial local news source.