Following through on his commitment to increase access to higher education opportunities for students in his district, Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) has introduced his first bill AB 24, the first step in expanding and providing new opportunities for pursuing higher education in Chula Vista, California.
“Expanding college opportunity for students in San Diego is one of my top priorities for the new legislative session. More students are attending college closer to home. If we are going to meet the growing demand for more college graduates, we need to look at ways to increase higher education opportunities locally,” said Assemblymember Block. “With the demand to attend local colleges and universities at an all-time high, and without any viable alternatives, it has become difficult for some students in the community to make it through college. We must take a local approach to finding solutions that promote greater access and help students complete their degree in a timely manner. This legislation will provide us with a road map for identifying the best ways to create those opportunities in Chula Vista, which could include building a new university to serve additional students, help train our future workforce and most importantly, create jobs and spur economic activity.”
AB 24 requires the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) to review and make recommendations to the Legislature on establishing and expanding public or private higher educational opportunities in Chula Vista, California.
In 2009, Assemblymember Block authored a similar measure. That bill would have required the CPEC to conduct a feasibility study for a CSU satellite program, and ultimately an independent CSU campus in the City of Chula Vista. That study would have been paid for with private funding. The Governor wrongly vetoed the measure.
The City of Chula Vista has long sought to build a campus in an area of land identified in their General Plan for use as a future educational complex. Although surrounded by more than 11,000 acres of a biological preserve, the future campus site is in compliance with the San Diego Multiple-Species Conservation Plan. In 1997, the Chula Vista general plan for a university project was approved. This included a certified Environmental Impact Report that evaluated the impacts within the Otay Ranch master planned community.
“More college graduates mean a stronger, more dynamic workforce — a critical component to creating a robust, stable economy. One thing we can do locally to invest in our workforce is to make sure all students who want to attend college have access,” added Assemblymember Block. “AB 24 is a critical first step in that direction and I look forward to working with our new Governor to help provide local students with additional options for attending college.”
Assemblymember Block has been a strong advocate for local students. Over the last year, he fought successfully to get 1,740 qualified local students readmitted to San Diego State University after flawed changes made to their admissions policy caused these students to be rejected. These efforts culminated in AB 2402, which requires a CSU campus to follow a set of specified public notice criteria prior to adopting a change in the criteria for admission that affects applicants in the Local Service Areas of a CSU campus, including changes to transfer requirements and determinations regarding impaction of majors. Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 2402 into law last year.