What role does Allan Hancock College play in our community?

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Allan Hancock College is a vital local resource that offers students of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to learn skilled trades, gain new career skills, and access affordable higher education. With the cost of attending California public universities more than six times that of community colleges, nearly 40 percent of our local high school graduates every year rely on Hancock for higher education and job training.

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How does Allan Hancock College help ensure our community has a well-trained local workforce?

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Allan Hancock College trains local nurses and healthcare workers who serve our medical needs, firefighters and first responders who keep us safe, and skilled workers like veterinary technicians, auto mechanics, and welders who fuel our economy. Hancock College provies low-cost, high-quality education, job training, and community learning options for all residents, helping build a well-trained workforce to meet the needs of local businesses and our community.

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What challenges does Allan Hancock College face in preparing students for successful futures and the local workforce?

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The college is over 100 years old, with a number of original buildings from the 1960s and ‘70s still in use for classes and labs. Many classrooms, labs, and career-training equipment, as well as technology and facilities, require ongoing maintenance and upgrades. Deteriorating electrical systems, plumbing, and roofs need repair or replacement. Local funding for these repairs will ensure students and veterans have access to an affordable, high-quality education and the opportunity to succeed in college and careers for generations to come.

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How will Measure H address these challenges?

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Measure provides locally-controlled funding to address facility needs and help ensure local students and veterans have access to affordable, high-quality education and job training in safe, modern facilities. Measure H funds will help address the most urgent facility improvements at Hancock and will qualify Hancock for $38 million in state matching funds that would otherwise go to other community colleges.

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Specifically, what projects will Measure H fund?

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If approved by local voters, Measure funds will be use to address essential projects, including: 

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• Removing hazardous materials like asbestos and mold from older buildings

• Upgrading classrooms, career-training facilities, and equipment so students are prepared for in-demand careers and skilled trades like nursing, welding, machining, and auto technology

• Building a University Center to offer four-year bachelor’s degrees locally in nursing and business in partnership with Cal Poly and Cal State Channel Islands — with additional programs in development

• Providing classrooms, facilities, and technology needed to support high-quality instruction in math, science, engineering, and technology programs

• Repairing and replacing deteriorating roofs, plumbing, heating, ventilation, gas lines, sewer lines, and electrical systems where needed

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How will Measure H help ensure Allan Hancock College can meet the needs of local veterans?

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Allan Hancock College serves military veterans returning from service who need additional help. A potential funding measure would maintain the Veterans’ Center, which provides job training, job placement, counseling, and support services to military veterans and their families.

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How do we know funds from Measure H will be spent wisely?

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Measure H requires the following strict fiscal accountability protections:

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• All funds would be controlled locally and stay in our community to improve local Hancock facilities; no bond funds could be taken away by the State or used for other purposes

• The establishment of an independent citizens’ oversight committee, annual audits, and public spending disclosures 

• No money could be used for administrators’ salaries or pensions

• A detailed project list outlining the specific use of funds

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How much would the measure cost?

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If approved by voters, the measure would authorize the sale of $290 million in general obligation bonds for critical classrooms and career-training facility upgrades to support high-quality instruction in safe, modern facilities. For property owners, this equates to a tax rate of $19 per $100,000 of assessed (not market) value annually, for as long as bonds are outstanding. The average homeowner in the District would pay approximately $70 annually.

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What value does the County use to calculate the cost of a bond measure?

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The cost of bond measures is based on the assessed value of properties. The assessed value of a property is based on the original purchase price and may not increase by more than two percent a year, while the market value tends to grow at a much faster rate based on market conditions. Thus, the assessed value is usually much lower than the market value, especially if a property was purchased long ago at a much lower price than it could be purchased for today. It is this assessed value upon which the cost of a bond measure is based.

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Would all Measure H funds benefit Allan Hancock College only?

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Yes. All funds would be locally controlled and would benefit Allan Hancock College only. No funding could be taken away by the State or used for other purposes.

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When can I vote on Measure H?

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Measure H will appear on the November 2026 ballot.

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What level of support does Measure H need to pass?

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Measure H needs to be supported by 55 percent of those who vote on it in order to pass. 

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Have we passed a bond measure to improve Allan Hancock College in the past?

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Allan Hancock College hasn’t passed a bond in 20 years. In 2006, local voters approved Measure I bond funding to upgrade and expand college classrooms and buildings, many of which were decades old. Those Measure I funds have since been used on needed improvements, including new science and STEM buildings, new training facilities for first responders, upgraded student technology, and more. Additional funding is now needed to maintain and upgrade classrooms, labs, and career training equipment to meet the current and future needs of our students and local economy.

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Has Allan Hancock College been a good steward of past bond funding?

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Yes. Allan Hancock College has spent all past bond measure funds as promised to voters and as described in the bond measure. You can read the reports from the Measure I independent citizens’ oversight committee here: www.hancockcollege.edu/measurei/citizens-oversight.php

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• Through multiple refundings, Hancock has reduced taxpayer costs, generating more than $25 million in total debt service savings over life of Measure I