College Opportunity News

Volume 3, Issue 7, September 21, 2007

In this issue: 

1) AB 668 CA Community College Financial Opportunity Act passes through legislature and awaits Governor's signature Go to this article >>

2) SB 890 Early Commitment to College to be acted on in 2008 Go to this article >>

3) Students and Campaign supporters meet with 75 Assembly Members in their district offices and urge them to support Early Commitment to College Go to this article >>

4) Receptions held around the State honor winners of the “Save Me a Spot in College Contest” and award “Champions of College Opportunity Go to this article >>

5) Campaign for College Opportunity in the news: Go to this article >>

• Fresno Bee publishes op-ed by CCO Board Members Fred Ruiz and David “Mas” Masumoto in support of Early Commitment to College

• Santa Rosa Press Democrat publishes op-ed by Carl Wong, Sonoma Superintendent of Schools, and CCO co-founder David Wolf, President of the Sonoma County Board of Education, in support of Early Commitment to College

• Los Angeles Business Journal publishes op-ed by Senator Jack Scott and Bill Hauck, President of the California Business Roundtable and board chair of the Campaign for College Opportunity

• North Bay Business Journal editorial supports Early Commitment to College

• Upstate Business Journal article features SB 890 from a Superior California perspective

AB 668 passed smoothly through the State Senate on September 6th with a 27-11 vote and received final approval in the Assembly on September 10th with a 64-14 vote. The bill is now up for Governor Schwarzenegger's review. His deadline to sign or veto all bills is October 14th.

AB 668 ensures that all California Community College Students are informed about state and federal financial aid at the time of enrollment. The bill seeks to make college more affordable for low-income students and increase the chance of student success by helping students cover the cost of their educations. It also ensures students receiving fee waivers are informed of the Federal Pell Grant.

>California Community College students receive the federal Pell grant at lower rates than community college students across the nation. They also receive the Pell grant at lower rates than students at the UCs and CSUs. Despite these lower rates, Community Colleges in California are the main path to postsecondary education and they educate the overwhelming majority of low-income and minority students.

Many factors exist to create this gap in students accessing federal Pell grant and state Cal-grant money. Evidence has shown that a lack of knowledge about the need to fill out a FASFA, a lack of understanding of the types of student aid available, and a lack of funding within the CA Community College system to help students apply for aid have all been factors. AB 668 is one step foward toward increasing our Community Colleges student's access to financial aid.

You can view an AB 668 Summary and download a sample letter of support to the Governor (the Governor will sign or veto all bills by October 14th, so please submit your letter as soon as you can) if you would like your organization to support this bill.

2) SB 890 Early Commitment to College to be acted on in 2008  << Go back to top

For those of you more familiar with board games than the legislative process, we do not "go back to start". We will come back to the legislature in January 2008, after the legislative recess, and continue exactly where we left off, with all the support we have built and all the progress we have made intact.

We will be doing everything we can to ensure that SB 890 clears this final committee in the Assembly, is voted on by the full Assembly and the Senate, and is signed by the Governor as quickly as possible in 2008. We will need everyone's support to ensure that this bill passes. Stay tuned for updates and notices of how you can help this fall.

Early Commitment to College will give 6th through 9th grade low-income students in California the opportunity to sign a Save Me a Spot in College Pledge and commit to finish high school, achieve academically and apply for financial aid. In return, California will commit to these students two years of community college tuition free, as well as admission to UC and CSU and receipt of a CalGrant, if the student meets eligibility requirements and applies. To learn about the research behind this proposal, download the "Early College Commitment" report and Executive Summary.

As SB 890 made its way through the Assembly committees last month, Campaign supporters and students visited 74 out of the 80 State Assembly Members to inform them about the Early Commitment to College, explain its importance, and urge them to lend their support to this important issue.

Legislators heard from students who submitted written word, poster, and TV ad entries to the “Save Me a Spot in College” Contest. Over the summer over 110 youth, their families, and coalition partners joined the Campaign for College Opportunity in these meetings.

Assembly Members offices are listed below from north to south. Assembly Members who personally attended the meetings are printed in bold. Out of 75 meetings, 41 meetings were with the legislators themselves.

Doug La Malfa (R-Richvale) Rick Keene (R-Chico) Ted Gaines (R-Tahoe City) Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) Lois Wolk (D-Davis) Dave Jones (D-Sacramento Alan Nakanishi (R-Lodi) Mark DeSaulnier (D-Pittsburg) Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) Sandré Swanson (D-Oakland) Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) Guy Houston (R-Livermore) Sally Lieber (D-San Jose) Cathleen Galgiani (D-Tracy) Mary Hayashi (D-Castro Valley) Gene Mullin (D-South San Francisco) Alberto Torrico (D-Newark) Ira Ruskin (D-Palo Alto) Joe Coto (D-San Jose) Jim Beall (D-Saratoga) Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto) Greg Aghazrian (R-Stockton)

John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) Mike Villines (R-Clovis) Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield) Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) Bill Maze (R- Visalia) Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara) Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) Audra Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) Felipe Fuentes (D-San Fernando) Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) Julia Brownley (D-Agoura Hills) Mike Feuer ((D-Wes Hollywood) Paul Krekorian (D-Glendale) Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada) Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles) Mike Davis (D-Los Angeles) Mike Eng (D-Monterrey Park) Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) Curren Price, Jr. (D-Inglewood) Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) Ted Lieu (D-El Segundo)

Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach) Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach) Tony Mendoza (D-Norwalk) Edward Hernandez (D-La Puente) Anthony Adams (R-Monrovia) Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto) Bill Emerson (R-Redlands) John Benoit (R-Riverside) Paul Cook (R-Beaumont) Kevin Jeffries (R-Murrieta) Jim Silva (R-Huntington Beach) Van Tran (R-Garden Grove) Jose Solorio (D-Santa Ana) Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) Todd Spitzer (R-Orange) Michael Duvall (R-Brea) Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel) Martin Garrick (R-Del Mar) George Plescia (R-La Jolla) Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) Joel Anderson (R-La Mesa) Shirley Horton (R-Chula Vista) Mary Salas (D-San Diego) Bonnie Garcia (R-Cathedral City)

4) Receptions held around the State honor winners of the “Save Me a Spot in College” Contest and award “Champions of College Opportunity”  << Go back to top

In addition to honoring the youth, each community honored their “Champions of College Opportunity” – adults who have tirelessly and generously promoted college access issues in their regions and in the state as a whole.

This year’s Contest drew over 8,000 entries. Winners received scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500 which totaled over $100,000 in scholarships granted. To view the winning entries click here.

Stay tuned for the 2008 Save Me a Spot in College Contest to be announced this fall!

Below are the Champions of College Opportunity honored at this summer’s receptions:

Dr. Ben Duran President, Merced Comm. College Carol Chandler Chandler Farms Gonzalo Rojas Director, Compact for Success Nancy Rohland National University Virtual HS David Valladolid Parents Institute for Quality Education Bill Habermehl Orange County Superintendent of Schools Sara Lundquist Vice President, Santa Ana Community College Dale Ward Executive VP, Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce Susan Rosenthal Government Relations Specialist, Kaiser Permanente Jamienne Studley President, Public Advocates

Jim Wunderman President & CEO, Bay Area Council Maria Casillas Families in Schools David Rattray VP of Education & Workforce Development, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Kathy Steinberg California State PTA Frank Quevedo VP of Equal Opportunity, Southern California Edison Dr. Don Averill Chancellor, San Bernadino Community College District Dr. Herbert Fischer Superintendent, San Bernadino County Schools Dr. Albert K. Karnig President, CSU San Bernadino

5) Campaign for College Opportunity in the news:  << Go back to top

• Fresno Bee publishes op-ed by Fred Ruiz, chair of Ruiz Foods, and David ‘Mas’ Masumoto, author and Central Valley farmer, in support of Early Commitment to College

“There are areas of the San Joaquin Valley, from Stockton to Bakersfield, with rates of poverty greater than that of Appalachia. And we face significant challenges in improving the educational attainment of our young people, who have among the lowest college-going rates in California.“ Read the full op-ed.

• Santa Rosa Press Democrat publishes op-ed by Carl Wong, Sonoma Superintendent of Schools, and CCO co-founder David Wolf, President of the Sonoma County Board of Education in support of Early Commitment to College

"The program will not reverse all the problems facing higher education, but it takes one important step in rebuilding the connection between the people of California and our institutions of higher learning“ Read the full op-ed.

• Los Angeles Business Journal publishes op-ed by Senator Jack Scott and Bill Hauck, President of the California Business Roundtable and board chair of the Campaign for College Opportunity

• Upstate Business Journal article features SB 890 from a Superior California perspective

(Senator) Aanestad, who represents the 4^th District to the state Senate, spoke at a Capitol news conference on May 31 supporting SB 890. “I cannot overstate the importance of making an early commitment to higher education,” Aanestad stated. “All of these students have made the necessary sacrifices to attend college after the completion of high school, and their accomplishments and leadership skills should be recognized.”  Read the full article.