Legislative Alert

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September 16, 2003: Recall Election and Proposition 54

Kate Clark, President of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges
Ken Snell, Chair, Legislation and Governmental Relations Committee

While we await the courts’ decisions regarding the October 7th balloting, we wish to alert you—both to an opportunity and to a potential deadline relevant to the communities of the California Community Colleges.

1. Last year, the Academic Senate sponsored an effort to educate students statewide about the impact of budgeting on their college education and to engage them in the political processes available to them. Your efforts certainly contributed to the 10,000-strong student “March in March” and to the positive legislative reconsideration of the 2003-04 community college budget.

   This year’s pending October balloting offers additional opportunities for faculty to engage in appropriate, informative discussions, teach-ins, and debates to help students and community members

• determine the consequences of voting for or against the recall;
• consider how the retention of the present Governor or the election of any of the other gubernatorial candidates would directly affect their college and their educational options;
• learn why UC, CSU, and the California Community Colleges’ Board of Governors and the Academic Senate, among many other groups, oppose Proposition 54;
• study the impact that Proposition 53 would have on construction and education on community college campuses.
  
2. Last year’s efforts also urged college faculty and staff to assist in voter registration on their campus. We want to remind you that

September 22 is the last day that eligible voters can register to vote on October 7th.

The Secretary of State’s voter booklet, “Statewide Special Election: Tuesday, October 7, 2003” also provides faculty with useful information, including reminders about student pollwatching and voters’ rights, as do these two websites: http://www.MyVoteCounts.ca.gov and http://www.voterguide.ss.ca.gov. You can also find information about your local Registrar of Voters by visiting the Secretary of State website at http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_d.htm.

ulWe hope you will model participatory democracy at its finest—casting an informed vote after careful examination of the issues and urging others to do likewise.