FRIENDS OF SUNSET PARK
Candidate Questionnaire for SMC Board of Trustees -- 2006

Background: Friends of Sunset Park (FOSP) is a city-recognized neighborhood organization representing residents who live between Pico Blvd. and the south city limits, and between Lincoln Blvd. and the east city limits.

Within the boundaries of Sunset Park lie the SMC Main Campus, the administration building at Pico and 27th, the SMC vacant lot at Pico and 14th, and the SMC Airport Campus. The Bundy Campus is adjacent to Sunset Park.

FOSP questions for SMC Trustee candidates:

1. The state helps fund SMC based on enrollment, and it provides incentives for enrollment growth. Local trustees and the college control enrollment by deciding on the number and size of classes offered. A few years ago, the college arbitrarily cut enrollment because that seemed financially beneficial. Now the administration sees 1.5 percent annual enrollment growth. Many residents in the district have urged the college to stay the same size or return to a smaller size. (Some support requesting a cap on enrollment from the state.) What do you favor?
   
   I do not favor a cap on enrollment. A "cap" is a sanitized way to say "we will turn students away." The community college system is a wonderful and unique American institution because it does NOT turn people away. The door to opportunity is kept open to everyone; people of any age, every income, every level of academic proficiency are welcome and able to come to SMC when they are ready to continue their education for professional, economic, or personal reasons. So, I definitely would not want to turn students away.
   
   I would however, as a member of the College Board, work closely with my fellow trustees and strategic partners here and in Sacramento to tweak the state funding formulas so that community colleges are not dependent on growth to maintain quality. I also believe that, in the future, SMC can work more closely with neighboring community colleges and help them to improve quality and become more attractive options for their local students. This past summer, SMC partnered with Compton Community College in a very successful partnership for both institutions.
   
   SMC has many students enroll but many of them drop out. Attrition is very high for many reasons. As a trustee, I will prioritize improving retention at SMC so that more students are successful. If SMC is able to better retain students, that not only furthers the College's educational mission and helps students, it also means fewer students will need to enroll to produce the FTEs needed.
   
   It's also important to note that the community college of the future will look somewhat different than the community college of the past. Increasing enrollment does not always mean increasing student numbers in Sunset Park or even in Santa Monica. As SMC moves forward with new programs in the future, students may be enrolled without needing to use the Main Campus. Programs in automotive technology and transportation, healthcare, and the hospitality industry will all need to combine classroom lectures with on-the-job real-life experience, off campus. SMC is in the process of purchasing property in Malibu and will be establishing a satellite site there. And distance learning is becoming an increasingly popular option for many students.
   
   As the City of Santa Monica develops a new Circulation Element which will include a much-anticipated community shuttle service (or some version of that), Santa Monica residents and residents who are SMC students, may find public transportation options that are more appealing to them and better connect our neighborhoods and neighbors with our college sites. Likewise, the eventual construction of light rail to Santa Monica will move residents and visitors out of their cars and off of our streets, reducing traffic while improving access. And, with improved working relations between SMC and the City, we can coordinate, consolidate, and improve public transit routes to eliminate duplication and better serve students and residents.
   
   As a trustee, I will maintain an ongoing dialogue with neighbors and residents so that I fully understand community concerns and can follow through on issues with staff, and I will work closely with my colleagues on the City Council and in Los Angeles on traffic circulation and parking efficiencies.
   
   
   
2. FOSP can no longer use the Community Room at Fairview Library for meetings because the nearby residential streets have preferential parking due to SMC. If SMC's goal remains continuing to increase enrollment, what are your expectations of the city to support this goal?
   
   In Santa Monica, we have 5 numbered preferential parking zones and between 40 and 50 official zones. If you look at the map, http://www.santa-monica.org/gis/map_catalog/csm_map_catalog/prefpark.jpg, about half of Santa Monica's residential streets have permit parking. Because Santa Monica is a popular destination city for so many reasons – shopping, employment, recreation, tourism, education – residential parking is a common concern. Permit parking is a strategy the City has implemented, at residents' request, to allow neighbors to have preferential parking to mitigate against pressures from all non-residential uses – the beach, businesses, some parks, the promenade, and schools.
   
   SMC is a wonderful asset for our community and my expectation is that the city, the school district, and the college will all work closely together to best serve their common constituency. We have examples of cross-institutional partnerships, such as the Civic Pool at SMC which is open to SMC students, the community, and to SMMUSD students. Everyone benefits when our major institutions are able to work together. I look forward to working with representatives of the City and of SMC to yield benefits for residents. Traffic circulation, parking, and public transportation are all areas where coordinated cooperative efforts will increase efficiency and reduce congestion. I also think there are opportunities for more partnerships (like the pool) in terms of land use for recreational purposes and open space. The SMC-City of Malibu Joint Powers Authority may prove to be an excellent model for SMC and the City of Santa Monica to pursue re joint projects.
   
   
   
3. How many students are enrolled at SMC this semester, and what percentage of them are Santa Monica or Malibu residents?
   
   According to SMC staff, about 7,300 Santa Monica residents take credit or non credit academic classes at SMC each year. This does NOT include residents taking "continuing education" or "community classes" which are categorized as "not-for-credit" classes. Overall, about 17% of the students at SMC this fall are from Santa Monica or Malibu.
   
   However, there's much more to this story.
   
   Merely looking at residents per a given semester undercounts the value of SMC to residents. Many residents who are not taking a class this semester may take a class some semester. I took classes several years ago (which I greatly enjoyed) and hope to take more classes again in a year or two. My younger daughter took a class in Physics this summer (so that she could continue with Choir at Samohi during the school year) and my Dad took classes at Emeritus last winter. No one in my family is taking a class THIS semester but we are all happy to know we could if we wanted to or needed to.
   
   Furthermore, class enrollment alone does not give a full picture of the learning opportunities SMC provides for the community. How many residents attend concerts? How many are going to see "Evita" at the new theatre? How many residents are going to the Monday Night Political Films Series? How many residents go to the planetarium show every Friday night? How many residents use the track on evenings and weekends? How many residents watch Samohi Football games at Corsair Field? How many residents play ping pong in the gym on Sunday afternoons? How many residents attend Celebrate America? If you wish to try to measure Santa Monica College's value to the community and to the neighborhood based on a head count, it needs to be much more inclusive than just a classroom head count.
   
   The question seems to presuppose that SMC should be just a Santa Monica-Malibu serving institution. This is not the case. There are only 72 community colleges in California as compared to more than 1000 K-12 school districts. SMC serves the region, as does the beach or the promenade, and because it serves more students than just residents, residents have far more educational and cultural opportunities available to them than they would otherwise. This analogy compares well to all the restaurants we have in town. A city of 82,000 could not support the hundreds of choices we have. Now, if you never eat out, it may not be an advantage for you but if you do enjoy eating out, the variety of restaurants available is a wonderful amenity for such a small city. The same applies to the cultural and educational opportunities that Santa Monica College is able to provide for our residents because it also serves people who are not fortunate enough to live in Santa Monica.
   
   Santa Monica College was established in 1929 and we are very fortunate to have it here. Like the beach, SMC is a great amenity to our community. It's not just for us but it's a great advantage to us that it's here.
   
   
   
4. What is the average indebtedness for each resident of Santa Monica and Malibu for Measures U (2002) and Measure S (2004) combined [the SMC facilities bond measures totaling $295 million]?
   
   Please refer to SMC staff for a technical answer to this question. Property owners can look at their property tax statement to see how much they contribute annually to SMC bonds. By law, that amount cannot exceed $25 per $100,000 of property value. (There is a property tax assistance program for low income senior citizens, blind, or disabled persons.)
   
   Santa Monica and Malibu voters have been very supportive of Santa Monica College and the resulting new facilities are truly inspiring. Traditionally, community colleges are the bottom rung of the college system but SMC has positioned itself to be not the "bottom rung" but rather the "first step." Santa Monica College is a college of choice because it has established a reputation for excellence and that excellence, the high standards, high expectations, and high hopes that SMC has for its students and faculty are visible in the beautiful first class new Science Building, in the new Library, at the Bundy Campus, and most recently at the new Theatre. All of these examples of high quality facilities have been made possible by the generous and consistent support of the voters of Santa Monica and Malibu.
   
   
   
5. SMC has acquired satellite campuses throughout the city (Airport, Bundy, Entertainment Academy, and Madison). In theory, this was to reduce traffic to the main campus. In practice, it has caused students to drive to several locations to get classes that fit their schedule requirements. Should the college continue to pursue this policy of satellite growth?
   
   The establishment of satellite campuses has reduced demand at the Main Campus while expanding programming. The new Bundy Campus offers a much-needed nursing program and program for aspiring preschool teachers. Once completed, SMC's music program will move from the Main Campus to the Madison Performing Arts Center. All of the new satellite campuses have ample on-site parking for students. Currently SMC is working to improve course offerings and scheduling opportunities so that students enrolled in these special programs will be able to take all or most of their classes at these campuses. Because traffic and parking are such obstacles to student access, it is in SMC's best interest as well as the community's best interest that students be able to fulfill their program requirements with as little transit as possible. SMC is now in the process of purchasing property in Malibu to establish a Malibu satellite campus. This new campus will increase educational opportunities for Malibu residents of all ages. I am not aware of any other satellites being considered and of course, the cost of purchasing land is Santa Monica is prohibitive.
   
   
   
6. What suggestions do you have to lessen the reliance on cars by students, faculty and other employees?
   
   SMC staff and Big Blue Bus staff are working together to analyze student and resident travel patterns with the intention of improving transit services to better meet the needs of everyone. This inter-agency close communication and cooperation will eliminate duplication and increase efficiencies. That's good! Making certain that the Circulation Element and new neighborhood "circulators" serve students as well as workers and shoppers will make a big difference. If it is possible to establish safe bicycle routes, that would be attractive to many students and staff members who are residents. Incentives for carpooling should also be offered if they are not already.
   
   
   
7. Will you oppose the proposed new parking under Corsair Field if studies show that the project would have a significant adverse effect on the surrounding neighborhoods that cannot be effectively mitigated?
   
   I cannot form an opinion on this without analyzing the actual information and weighing all options. We know that traffic congestion and a lack of parking already has an adverse effect on students and neighbors.
   
   
   
8. Will you push for clean fuel vehicles on all SMC shuttles?
   
   Yes.
   
   
   
9. Many key occupational training programs were eliminated four years ago. Should SMC take a larger role in training students for jobs?
   
   SMC publicizes its role as the #1 transfer community college to the UCs which is a significant achievement. The general public is much less familiar with SMC's role in providing career and workforce development. Currently about 30% of SMC students are in these programs. At the October 9th meeting of the SMC Board of Trustees, SMC President Dr. Tsang announced that as part of the reorganization of senior staff, there will be a senior administrator to oversee SMC's career programs and the workforce development office. This is a welcome and appropriate adjustment.
   The SMC administration is in the process of completing an Environmental Scan to evaluate emerging viable job and career options for the next five years and the Faculty Academic Senate has a committee that is also working on evaluating and recommending an expansion of vocational programs. The key is to make sure that the new programs that SMC invests in will be appealing to prospective students and provide meaningful and well-paid jobs for graduates. I am especially interested in developing programs that partner closely with Santa Monica's automotive, healthcare, education, and hospitality industries – combining classroom instruction with on-the-job training.
   
   
   
10. What has been your primary profession, and how has it prepared you to set policy at SMC?
    
    My paid work experience includes teaching at the university (UCLA extension) and preschool levels and working as a script supervisor and coordinator in television and feature films. Although my work in film and television is not directly related to education, it is work that requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, stamina, working well with many different people including very high powered people, tact, perseverance, steady nerves, and good communication skills.
    
    However, I believe that it is my extensive work as a volunteer community activist for public education and lifelong learning that is my most compelling qualification. In the past ten years, through the Santa Monica Lifelong Learning Community Project, the PTA, and Community for Excellent Public Schools, I have worked persistently and respectfully with people from every corner of our community to enhance and expand learning opportunities. In all of these efforts, I have learned a great deal about our schools, our cities, and our state government and I have developed strong, respectful working relationships with other residents, staff, and elected officials. I believe in working closely with people – I am not a lone ranger – and I believe that my knowledge of our community, my extensive network of personal relationships, my experience, my communication skills and my demonstrated commitment to ongoing and open communication have all prepared me well to serve on SMC's Board of Trustees.
    
    
    
11. What are your top priority issues related to SMC?
    
    
    • Resolving (at least improving!) traffic and parking issues.
      
    • Establishing channels for ongoing dialogue with different constituent community groups -- i.e. establishing SMC Board Liaisons for each neighborhood group – and with faculty and classified staff.
      
    • Improving student success and retention.
      
    • Moving forward with career opportunities in partnership with local industries.
    • Increasing enrollment opportunities for Santa Monica and Malibu high school students.
    • Ensuring that the Madison Performing Arts Center is successful and serves the community.
    • Exploring and implementing partnership opportunities with the City of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, and the City of Malibu.
    • Purchasing land and moving forward with the City of Malibu in a collaborative manner to create a Malibu Campus that will serve residents of all ages.
    • Working with strategic partners to increase funding from Sacramento.
    
    
    
12. When the Board of Friends of Sunset Park opposed vehicular access to Airport Ave. for Bundy Campus students unless traffic mitigations could protect the residential neighborhoods, what was your position?
    
    As a 20 year Sunset Park resident and SMC neighbor, I attended FOSP meetings and argued for a more accommodating posture to SMC. I arranged for FOSP President Zina Josephs to join me for a tour of the Bundy Campus --- everyone should go visit; it's beautiful! I spoke publicly before the SMC Board of Trustees and the City Council in support of providing access to the 609 space parking lot for students and actively lobbied City Councilmembers to reach an agreement to provide access for students.