The Campaign for College Opportunity -Activities

Taking our Message to State Leaders

As you well know, California faces rapid demographic change, a growing population especially among young people, and increasing demands for a highly educated workforce to keep our economy strong. Through the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education, our state leaders made a commitment to provide a place in community college or university for all students who seek it. Whether by attending college in California or by living in a better educated society, we have all benefited from this commitment. In light of the significant need to improve educational attainment in our state, we must now renew this commitment for the next generation of Californians.

Some of the state's most influential leaders were asked to sign a letter to the Governor and legislative leadership to increase the visibility of this issue and make it a statewide priority for California policymakers. Our goal was to have at least 100 respected leaders from every region and sector sign this letter. It will be delivered to our state leaders in February 2007, accompanied by ads in the Sacramento Bee, Capitol Weekly and Capitol Public Radio, and editorials in newspapers throughout the state. We believe the next two years are a critical time for thoughtful and determined action for California's future. Now is your chance to move boldly into the future, with a prepared and skilled workforce ready to take California forward.

Want to add your name to the list? Click here to make your voice heard.

We would like to thank the following for lending their support thus far:

Dede Alpert, Retired State Senator, Rancho Santa Fe

Cristina Bautista, Save Me a Spot Winner

Elaine Baylor, Los Angeles Valley College Patrons

Marian Bergeson, Retired State Senator, Newport Beach

Maria Blanco, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights

Gary Bongiovanni, Pollstar

Maria Brenes, Inner City Struggle

Elise Buik, United Way of Los Angeles

Linda Caballero-Sotelo, San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Maria Casillas, Families In Schools

Carol Chandler, Chandler Farms

Marilyn Chow, Kaiser Permanente

Dennis Cima, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Sharon Cornu, Central Labor Council of Alameda County

Charles Crabb, CA Farm Bureau Federation

Judith D’Amico, CJ-Ventures

Brenda Davis, PTA

Mark Diamond, Contoural Inc.

Edward “Ned” Dolejsi, CA Catholic Conference

Dr. James Doti, Chapman University

Maria Elena Durazo, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor

Carolina Echeverria, Univision 14/Telefutura 66

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council

Steve Falk, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

Jim Famalette, Gottschalks

Dr. Robert Gaines, CA Black Chamber of Commerce

Margaret Gaston, Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning

Lou Gomez, Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Carl Guardino, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Bill Habermehl, Orange County Dept. of Ed.

Matt Hammer, PACT San Jose

Russell Hancock, Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network

Kamala Harris, District Attorney, San Francisco

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Community Coalition

Gary Hart, CSU Institute for Education Reform

Bill Hauck, California Business Roundtable

Jim Hawley, TechNet

Antonia Hernandez, CA Community Foundation

Chloe Hsia, Save Me a Spot Winner

Dolores Huerta, Dolores Huerta Foundation

Randal J. Hernandez, Bank of America

Jacqueline Jacobberger, League of Women Voters of California

Greg Jones, State Farm Insurance

Mitchell Kapor, Mitchell Kapor Foundation

Keith Kelley, Fresno West Coalition for Economic Development

Tom King, Pacific Gas & Electric

Freada Klein, Level Playing Field

Stewart Kwoh, Asian Pacific American Legal Center

Fred Lentz¸ Advance! La Habra

Ruben Lizardo, California Tomorrow

David Lizárraga, TELACU

Lee Lockhart, Freelance Journalist, Fresno

Rev. Lewis Logan, II, Bethel AME Church

Carrie Lopez, Coro Foundation

Mayor Ronald Loveridge, City of Riverside

Mary Lyons, University of San Diego

Chuck Mack, Teamsters

Joy Madison, Modesto Chamber of Commerce

Mark Martinez, San Joaquin County Hispanic Chamber

Dr. Marcy Masumoto, Masumoto Family Farm

Mas Masumoto, Farmer & Author

Mike McGalliard, Mentor LA

Julie Meier Wright, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation

Veronica Melvin, Alliance for a Better Community

Katrina Mendiola, National Council of La Raza

Lenny Mendonca, McKinsey & Co.

Mike Metzler, Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce

Edward Muñoz, Raytheon

Janet Murguía, National Council of La Raza

Deborah Nankivell, Fresno Business Council

Jess Nieto, Heritage of America, Educational & Cultural Foundation

Harry Pachon, Tomas Rivera Policy Institute

Willie Pelote, AFSCME

Lynn Pike, Bank of America California

Karl Pister, CA Council on Science & Technology

Frank Quevedo, Southern California Edison

Jaime Regalado, Pat Brown Institute

Larry Reider, Kern Co. Superintendent of Schools

Larree Renda, Safeway

Cruz Reynoso, Retired California Supreme Court Justice, Davis

Mayor Margie Rice, City of Westminster

Solomon Rivera, Californians for Justice

Jason Rodriguez, Hewlett Packard

Jose Rodriguez, El Concilio

Gonzalo Rojas, Compact for Success

Javier Rosales, Past Chair Latino Network, Hispanic Community Organization

Sal Rosselli, SEIU United Healthcare Workers

Frederick Ruiz, Ruiz Food Products, Inc.

Lucy Santana, Girls Incorporated of Orange

Ron Snyder, Oakland Community Organizations

Olivia Soza Mendiola, Mexican American Community Services Agency, Inc.

Ava Steaffens, KidWorks

Greg Stubblefield, Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Jamienne Studley, Public Advocates, Inc.

Van Ton-Quinlivan, PG&E Corp.

Helen Iris Torres, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality

John Trasviña, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

David Valladolid, PIQE

Carlos Vaquerano, Salvadoran-American Leadership and Educational Fund

Arturo Vargas, NALEO Educational Fund

Eugene Voiland, Aera Energy, LLC

Steve Weiner, Campaign for College Opportunity

Kenneth P. Wilcox, Silicon Valley Bank

David Wolf, Campaign for College Opportunity

Jim Wunderman, Bay Area Council

Caprice Young, CA Charter Schools Association

Milton Younger, Chain, Younger, Cohn, Stiles

Caroll Yule, Shear Realty

Elizabeth Zamora, Boyle Heights Learning Collaborative

Allan Zaremberg, CA Chamber of Commerce

Save Me A Spot in College Contest details

Are you frustrated with overcrowding, difficulty getting classes, or are you facing other problems on your college campus? Or maybe you just want to share how much college has meant to you. Either way, we would like to hear from you. Tell Us Your Story