November 9, 1998

Passage of Proposition 1A moves UC forward

Bond will fund two needed buildings at UCSC

By Brad Hayward
and Francine Tyler

The approval of Proposition 1A by California voters means that two major building projects for UCSC's natural and social science programs have moved a step closer to reality.

More than 62 percent of California voters voted "yes" on the proposition in last week's election. The $9.2 billion bond measure includes $2.5 billion for public higher-education facilities and $6.7 billion for K-12 facilities over a four-year period.

For UCSC, the bond will help pay for the construction of a new Interdisciplinary Sciences Building and for both planning and construction of a Physical Sciences Building. The buildings would address current needs for more teaching, research, and office space, and make it possible for the campus to expand its programs in natural and social sciences and in engineering.

Statewide, the bond will provide critically needed funding for the construction and renovation of UC facilities, said UC President Richard C. Atkinson.

"This is a major breakthrough for UC," Atkinson said, after last week's election. "The passage of this bond measure is a strong endorsement for education from California's voters. The university has been counting on the funding from this measure because most of our facilities projects planned for the coming years depend upon it.

"Proposition 1A will substantially boost our efforts to provide the safe, up-to-date classrooms and laboratories needed for UC to produce the workforce and generate the ideas that will help California remain economically competitive," Atkinson added.

UC, the California State University system and the California Community Colleges will equally share the $2.5 billion over a four-year period. In 1998-99 alone, Proposition 1A will fund 19 UC facilities projects on all nine of the university's campuses.

UC will use Proposition 1A funding to strengthen university buildings against earthquakes, renovate aging classroom and laboratory buildings, and modernize outdated infrastructure. The measure also will fund construction of new facilities to house expanding UC programs in engineering and the sciences and to help accommodate the 45,000 additional students projected to enroll at UC by 2010.

Proposition 1A also is expected to provide $55 million, beginning in 2000-01, for initial infrastructure and facilities at the university's planned 10th campus, UC Merced. The university will continue to seek additional capital funding that will be necessary in order to open the new campus as scheduled in 2005.

Get more information about Proposition 1A's impact on UCSC

Read President Atkinson's statement to the UC community on the proposition's passage

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