Prop. 78 OK Is Called Vital to Colleges, Universities

Top higher education leaders from Orange County area campuses issued a plea Thursday for voter support of Proposition 78 on the Nov. 8 ballot.

At an unusual joint press conference in Irvine, the heads of UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach and Chapman College and a representative speaking for all eight community colleges in Orange County said the proposition is vital to higher education.

Proposition 78, one of 29 state ballot measures before voters in November, would authorize a $600-million state bond issue to provide building money for public universities and colleges.

UCI Chancellor Jack W. Peltason, who acted as master of ceremonies for the group, said all the institutions of higher education in Orange County are growing and have building needs. UCI’s booming construction would be hurt if the measure fails, Peltason said.

“It would be a deep blow to my institution (UCI) if this does not pass,” Peltason said. He added that failure of Proposition 78 might hurt UCI’s ability to admit growing numbers of qualified students.

Crucial for Cal State Fullerton

“We’d have to talk seriously about containment of growth,” Peltason said. He noted that UCI expects a record enrollment of about 16,000 students when it opens fall classes next week.

Jewel Plummer Cobb, president of the 24,500-student Cal State Fullerton, said Proposition 78 is crucial for all the scheduled construction on her campus. Cal State Fullerton “would be very seriously impaired” if the measure fails on Nov. 8, she said.

Alfred P. Fernandez, chancellor of Coast Community College District, headquartered in Costa Mesa, represented all eight community colleges in Orange County at the press conference. He said the eight community colleges stand to gain about $21 million in construction money if Proposition 78 passes on Nov. 8. Fernandez said all community colleges in the state have suffered in recent years for lack of building and renovation funds from the state.

“Construction of facilities has not kept pace with our (statewide community college) growth,” Fernandez said.

Curtis McCray, president of Cal State Long Beach, told the press conference that his campus, which has more than 30,000 students, is extremely overcrowded. The state bond issue is badly needed, he added.

James Doti, acting president of Chapman College, spoke in favor of Proposition 78 even though it would provide no money for private institutions such as Chapman. Doti said public and private colleges and universities “have a symbiotic relationship” and support each other.

Fred Koch, assistant superintendent of the Orange County Department of Education, represented elementary-secondary education at the joint press conference.

Example of Confusion

Giving an example of how confusing the 29 statewide ballot measures are this fall, Koch mixed up Proposition 79 and Proposition 98. Asked by a reporter what Proposition 79 would do, Koch initially responded that it would provide a level of minimum funding for all elementary and high schools in the state.

Then, correcting his mistake, he noted that Proposition 79 actually would provide an $800-million bond issue for elementary-secondary construction projects. Proposition 98 is the measure that calls for establishing a minimum funding level for elementary and high schools.

Peltason, a nationally prominent political science author, commented, “As a political scientist, I’m worried about voter confusion with these initiatives.”

But he added that he believes Proposition 78 has a good chance of passage. Among other things, he said, the measure has no organized opposition “and it’s the first one on the ballot this year.”