Community College Bond Measure Fails

A $564 million bond measure designed to upgrade facilities at the College of San Mateo, San Bruno's Skyline College, and Redwood City's Canada College failed to gather enough votes Tuesday night to pass.

Measure H, the third bond measure proposed within the last ten years by the district, remained at a 52% voter approval tabulation throughout the night, and could not push past the necessary 55% vote total.

Voters may remember passing two previous bond measures for the district within the past 10 years: $207 million in 2001 and $468 million in 2005. Approval of the newest bond proposal would have put the district's debt at over $1 billion.

Patch talked to voters in San Mateo and Redwood City as they left their polling places, and found mixed reactions to Measure H.

"I voted for it," said Eugenia Watermulder, a San Mateo resident. "We're a family that has benefited from community college education. I think more young people would benefit from whatever quality programs we can offer because we have too many young people coming out of high school that are just not ready for four-year colleges."

"I voted for it," said Jackie Wagner, a resident of Redwood City who used to work in the psychology department at Stanford. "I think that the kids in our junior colleges, in colleges, are our future; they're the ones that are going to be making decisions for us, and they should have the best technology there is, and the best teachers."

A resident of Redwood City who chose not to give us his name felt differently.

"I voted against it," the man said. "There've been multiple bond issues over the last ten years that have been approved and the whole situation with the very expensive gym that was approved at one of the community colleges; that sort of expenditure is not appropriate at this time."

Three days ago, San Mateo Patch ran an unscientific poll regarding Measure H. In the poll, voters also disapproved of the bond measure.

Here are the final numbers: