Students and workers need housing now. Tell the LACCD Board of Trustees to use our funds on what we voted for. 

Demands:

1. Create Immediate Housing Solutions
   Establish a rent voucher program now that utilizes existing empty apartments to provide rapid relief for housing-insecure students and workers.
2. Student Oversight
   Form a student worker council to oversee the planning and implementation of long-term housing projects.
3. Transition Graduates
   Develop a comprehensive transition program to assist graduating students in securing their next housing situation.
4. Expedite Plans
   Treat housing as the emergency it is. Expedite the process for vouchers and building. The current plan from the LACCD Board of Trustees falls short of the urgent needs of the district. 

LACCD Students and Workers In Crisis

Over the last decade, homelessness among California Community College students has increased by over 50%, which today affects one in five community college students in Los Angeles. Over 38,000 LACCD students are currently facing homelessness and just over half of students live at or below the poverty line. Despite this crisis, the LACCD Board of Trustees has a troubling history of prioritizing personal and corporate interests over the welfare of the student body.

$500 Million Tax Payer Dollars At Stake

We, concerned members, students, and teachers of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) community, are raising our voices against the alarming pattern of corruption within the LACCD Board of Trustees that threatens to compromise the intended use of $500 million to construct between 300-1,200 beds of housing. Rather than treating housing as the emergency it is, the board is proposing to stretch out the project over 10 years and only serve a maximum of 0.5% of LACCD students. Their plan reflects a long history of using delays and loopholes to funnel public dollars into the pockets of wealthy campaign donors.

A Crucial Moment for Action

Last year, voters approved Measure LA, a $5.3 billion construction bond for LACCD, allotting $500 million specifically to house students and workers. Right now is a crucial moment as the Board of Trustees decides who really gets that money: shell companies of their elite buddies or the community it’s meant for. There is enough funding to provide immediate relief to students and workers while also building longer-term solutions. We can't let greed and corruption stand in the way of community needs again. Students, faculty, voters, and LACCD residents must stand together and demand that our tax dollars be spent on what we voted for - meaningful housing solutions now. 

 

Works Cited

Truong, Debbie. “L.A. Community Colleges Send $5.3-billion Bond to Voters - Los Angeles Times.” Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2022, www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-05/laccd-wants-to-borrow-5-3-billion-for-building-projects

Ho, Bonnie. “Community College Housing.” LAist, 27 Oct. 2023, www.laist.com/brief/news/education/laccd-plans-to-build-its-own-campus-housing-itll-take-time-and-it-wont-be-enough

Lopez, Steve. “Times Community College Investigation Unearths Shameful Waste - Los Angeles Times.” Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2019, www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-mar-06-la-me-0306-lopez-communitycolleges-20110306-story.html

“LACCD Mismanaged More Than $140 Million in Voter-approved Funds - Our Weekly.” Our Weekly, 26 Oct. 2021, www.ourweekly.com/2011/08/10/laccd-mismanaged-more-than-140-million-in-voter

Law, Newt Kellam Kellam. “Pinner Construction Files Lawsuit Confirming Arbitrator’s Decision Alleging Scheme That Cheated California Taxpayers Out of More Than $20 Million in the Construction of a Public Performing Arts Center.” PR Newswire, 4 Aug. 2022, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pinner-construction-files-lawsuit-confirming-arbitrators-decision-alleging-scheme-that-cheated-california-taxpayers-out-of-more-than-20-million-in-the-construction-of-a-public-performing-arts-center-301600212.html