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Measure
to fund four projects at UCI
UPDATE: Proposition 55 won passage from California voters by a margin
of 51 percent to 49 percent. Complete returns, including county results: http://vote2004.ss.ca.gov/Returns/prop/00.htm
Election statement from UC President Dynes
Vigorous enrollment growth in California schools over the past decade has made it essential to fix old, outdated classrooms, expand facilities and build new classrooms to meet existing student needs in Kindergarten-University facilities across the state.
Proposition 55, the Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities
Bond Act of 2004, addresses the problem by providing $12.3 billion to repair and build schools in communities throughout California.
On the March 2 ballot, the bond issue was the second half of the two-part school construction and repair package; Proposition 47, the first half, was approved by
59 percent of the voters in November 2002.
With passage, Proposition 55 will provide the University of California $690 million to repair and build facilities throughout the UC system; more than $100 million will directly fund capital projects at UCI, including:
- Construction of Biological Sciences 3, a 79,000-assignable-square-foot project that will be instrumental in accommodating an anticipated 43-percent increase in biological sciences enrollment ($50.1 million);
- Design and construction of Engineering 3, a 70,000-assignable-square-foot project including classrooms and research labs that will enable the campus to fulfill its commitment to increasing enrollment in the sciences, including engineering and ICS, to provide workers needed by California industries ($48.3 million);
- Design of Social Ecology/Social Sciences, a 54,000-assignable-square-foot project including classroom and research labs, faculty offices, and other requirements of the schools ($2.8 million); and
- Equipment for Computer Science 3.
Proposition 55 will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and add billions in local economic activities throughout California. In Orange County, where K-university institutions stand to receive $973 million, the impact is expected to be $1.5 billion in additional economic activity, nearly 11,000 jobs, and $574 million in generated wages.
Proposition 55 contains strict accountability standards that guarantee school bond funds will go directly to repair and build new classrooms – not on bureaucracy or waste. The measure is supported by the California Teachers Association, California Chamber of Commerce, California State PTA, California Business Roundtable and California Taxpayers’ Association.
For additional information on Proposition 55, please visit the University of California Web site.
The California Secretary of State's Web site also has more information on the bond measure, including
ballot arguments for and against the proposition, in the Official Voter Information Guide.
Learn more about Proposition 55's economic impact on Orange County.
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