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Prop J goes to vote By AUGUSTINE UGALDE If ever there were a time for students at East Los Angeles College to be politically aware and registered to vote, this is it. Bond Measure “J” which goes to a vote this November will impact students, faculty and staff to the tune of more than $400 million if approved by voters. The $3.5 billion bond measure introduced by the Los Angeles Community College District is a construction bond that will benefit all nine schools within the district. The basic purpose of the measure is to improve current campus facilities throughout the district, specifically in three areas. The first is in sustainable technologies fields, which are technologies that generate energy with renewable resources other than fossil fuels. Career examples in this area include clean energy technicians, operating engineers for energy efficient buildings and production technologies for Green products. Second are careers in health and safety that include nursing, fire and police, waste and hazardous substance control and disposal, along with purification and management of water supplies. The third targeted career area would be for critical infrastructure job training that includes electrical and utility workers, construction and maintenance workers and also replacement workers for retiring baby boomers in certain industries. According to ELAC Vice President Robert G. Isomoto, there are specific uses for the bond money if the measure is passed by voters this November. “Some of this money will be used for specific projects that are currently being considered at ELAC,” said Isomoto. “We plan to build a campus center and a public service building if the bond passes.” “One of the plans we have is to replace the E-3 and E-5 buildings, which means tearing the existing buildings down and building new facilities on their current sites,” added Isomoto. Specific projects will also include the renovation of several buildings and facilities at Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles Southwest College, West Los Angeles College, Trade Tech and Los Angeles Valley College. Along with the building renovations and career funding projects, Proposition “J”, which is named for jobs, will provide the upgrading of fire safety systems, repairing deteriorating electrical wiring, plumbing and ventilation systems throughout the district. Because of Proposition 39, the total percentage for passing this bond has been lowered from 60 percent to 55 percent, which will make the bond easier to pass. According to Amy Yeager, campaign manager for the “Yes on J” measure, a yes vote will not increase the current tax rate we pay to fund local community colleges. “There are a lot of positive aspects on this bond measure, but the best thing about it is that the money will be used to further the education of our college students and will improve their chances to land a good job in the new technologies that are now emerging,” said Yeager. |
Ground broken for complex |
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Ground broken for complex
Let the fun begin— ELAC President Ernest Moreno, (left) LACCD Chancellor Marshall Drummond and Board of Trustees President Sylvia Scott Hayes take part in the ceremony, along with three council members from the city of Monterey Park.
By ERICK HUERTA
A groundbreaking ceremony was held over the summer break for the Construction of the new Performing and Fine Arts Complex. The construction is scheduled to be completed in 19 months and will house the Vincent Price Art Museum, the Fine and Visual Price Art Museum will be three stories high with more than 3,000 square feet of usable space. The basement will also include an 8,000 square ft vault that will be used for storage purposes. To protect all the art work in the basement, a special heating and cooling system will be installed in the building. Seven new gallery spaces and a 128-lecture hall will also be in place allowing instructors to use the space for educational purposes. “Finally we will have a building worthy of this outstanding collection,” said ELAC President Ernest Moreno, who attended the ceremony. The Fine and Visual Arts Building will be the largest of the three structures and will have more than 77,000 square feet of usable space. This facility will be the new location of the Art, Music and Dance departments. Studio space and classrooms for music and dance will also be made available. It will contain two separate performing theaters that will be used for rehearsal space and costume storage as well as providing for more classrooms. Kelly Hogan of the theatre arts department was at the ceremony and said that she is excited about the building of the new facilities. She has seen students create sets and put on productions in the most dire of conditions, but can only imagine what they will create when they have the proper space to work with. Board of Trustees President Sylvia Scott Hayes also attended the ground breaking and expressed her joy for the construction project saying that, “At a time when we are seeing a renaissance in East Los Angeles, this new center is poised to not only contribute to the rebirth of the community, but to become one of the centers of it.” Theater students Maribella Magana, Ivan Acosta, Daniel Munoz and Karyn Grasse are also excited about the Performing and Fine Arts Complex and can’t wait to see the finished product. They said that even though they all might transfer by the time the construction is over, they know that the work they do now will advance the department. They may not be able to fully enjoy the new facilities, but they’re still glad that the next batch of theater students will. |
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