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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 26, 2002
University of California Office of the President
Brad Hayward (510) 987-9200
brad.hayward@ucop.edu
GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE AUTHORIZE EDUCATION BOND MEASURES
Gov. Gray Davis and the California Legislature have approved
the placement of bond measures for public education facilities
on the ballot in November 2002 and March 2004.
Under the bill signed by the governor, AB 16, the 2002 bond
measure would provide $13.05 billion for K-12 and higher education
facilities over a two-year period. The 2004 measure would
provide an additional $12.3 billion for that purpose over
the following two years.
The bond legislation also includes the acceleration of funding
for a number of higher education facilities projects, including
seven projects at the University of California, as part of
a statewide economic stimulus package proposed by the governor
in January. Lease-revenue bonds, which do not need voter approval,
would fund the accelerated projects.
Counting proceeds from both the general-obligation bonds
and the lease-revenue bonds, the legislation will provide
California public colleges and universities with $1.15 billion
per year in facilities funding, for four years, if both bond
measures win voter approval. UC campuses would receive $345
million per year to fund capital improvement projects at all
UC campuses, including the new UC Merced campus.
"The projects we have planned are critical to our ability
to accommodate growing numbers of students, reinforce structures
against earthquakes, and provide technologically up-to-date
facilities for constantly evolving academic programs,"
said UC President Richard C. Atkinson.
UC's current primary source of funding for facilities projects
- Proposition 1A, a bond measure approved by California voters
in 1998 - runs out this year.
UC projects to be funded by the November 2002 and March 2004
general-obligation bond measures will be subject to approval
by the governor and Legislature each year.
The UC projects that will be funded by lease-revenue bonds
on an accelerated basis have already been approved and include
the following:
- Veterinary Medicine 3A at UC Davis - a teaching and research
building needed to upgrade facilities for the School of
Veterinary Medicine ($66.1 million)
- Natural Sciences Unit 2 at UC Irvine - an interdisciplinary
laboratory building for the Schools of Biological Sciences
and Physical Sciences ($55.3 million)
- Site Development and Infrastructure at UC Merced ($16.4
million)
- Engineering Building Unit 2 at UC Riverside - an engineering
building providing space for teaching and research laboratories
and departmental support ($35.7 million)
- Engineering Building Unit 3B at UC San Diego - a facility
providing new space for engineering, computer science and
related disciplines at Warren College ($37.4 million)
- Life Sciences Building at UC Santa Barbara - a laboratory
building providing modern instruction and research space
for biological sciences programs ($26.9 million)
- Engineering Building at UC Santa Cruz - an engineering
building providing research, classroom and departmental
space ($41.2 million)
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