Higher Education — 2026-06-24 (partial-shutdown)

. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right, good afternoon. The Assembly Higher Education Committee is now called to order. At this time, we'd like to have Mr. Secretary,

Here.

Here. Gonzalez?

Murasuchi? Here.

Rodriguez? Sharp Collins? Here.

Thank you so much, colleagues. We have salvaged a quorum. and welcome everyone to the Assembly Higher Education Committee hearing. This hearing is the last hearing we will have for Senate measures. Whether you're here in person or watching virtually, I'm glad that you have joined us. Additionally, I'm pleased to welcome back Mr. Michael Erke, who once again is pinch-heading for our committee. Thank you, Mr. Erke, for your leadership. We truly appreciate everything you have done to support and assist our committee this year, and you are invaluable to our legislature. Thank you so much. I will now go over some key elements of the structure of today's hearing. In order to facilitate the goal of hearing as much from the public within the limits of our time, we will not permit conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of legislative proceedings. We will not accept disruptive behavior or behavior that incites or threatens violence. The rules for today's hearing include no talking or loud noises from the audience. Public comment may be provided only at the designated time and place and is permitted by the chair. Public comment must relate to the subject or bills being discussed today, and no engaging in conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of this hearing. Please be aware that violations of these rules may subject you to removal or other enforcement actions, and Bill will be taken up in sign-in order. Authors, you can sign in at the sergeant's desk in room 126. Further, please note that the guidelines for bills heard in this committee is to allow for testimony from two lead witnesses in support and two lead witnesses in opposition to speak for no more than two minutes each. Stakeholder groups and entities that are neither in support nor in opposition will be allowed to give testimony for no more than two minutes when it calls for tweeners. If a measure has more than two entities in a tweener category, only two will be allowed to speak for two minutes each. Colleagues, since our hearings are public and some travel far to be here, with respect of them and the author, please allow the author to complete their opening remarks regarding the bill before making a motion so that the public has an idea as to what the bill is about. If a motion is made during the author's opening remarks, I will simply state that the motion will be recognized at the appropriate time. Additionally, members, if you would like to respond to a roll call, ask a question, or provide a comment, please be sure to activate your microphone and speak into your mic. For authors of bills of today, each member presenting today will provide an opening statement and a closing statement. As previously stated, your TV witnesses will each have two minutes to provide testimony. And before we proceed with our first author, let us take up the consent calendar's time. We have six measures on the agenda today, with one being on consent, file number six, SB 1374 by Senator Nielo.

Oh, sorry. Can we get a...

On the consent calendar, Fong? Aye. Fong, aye. DeMaio? Berner? Aye. Berner, aye. Gonzalez? Aye. Gonzalez, aye. Jackson? Murasuchi? Aye. Murasuchi, aye. Patel? Aye. Patel, aye. Rodriguez? Aye. Rodriguez, aye. Sharp Collins? Tangipa? Thank you so much, colleagues.

Welcome, Senator Reyes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members for the opportunity to present SB 1154, which would allow community college districts to use a best value procurement method for public works projects exceeding $1 million. Best value procurement allows contracts to be awarded based on a combination of price and objective qualitative criteria, not simply the lowest bid. In doing so, it provides community colleges with the same flexibility already provided to K-12 school districts, the University of California, and the CSUs. Unfortunately, when it comes to delivering major construction projects, community colleges are held to a procurement standard that requires a selection based on the lowest bid, which limits their ability to select contractors based on overall quality and long-term value. SB 1154 allows districts to evaluate contractors' experience, safety records, technical expertise, and lifecycle costs. The bill also contains protections from biases in evaluations as the identities of bidders are not revealed in evaluation prior to the completion of the scoring. These projects are essential to preparing students for transfer, career pathways, and participation in California's evolving workforce, and will ensure we are setting up our infrastructure for long-term success. Here to testify in support are Gilbert Contreras, Dr. Gilbert Contreras, President of San Bernardino Valley College. Yes, my alma mater. And Angel Rodriguez, Associate Vice Chancellor of Government Relations at the San Bernardino Community College District.

Thank you. Thank you, Senator Reyes. And thank you, Chair and members of the Assembly Higher Education Committee. My name is Dr. Gilbert Contreras, and I proudly serve as the president of San Bernardino Valley College in the San Bernardino Community College District. Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on SB 1154, which will provide another tool in the toolbox as my campus embarks on new facilities, a new facilities master plan to build out the classrooms of tomorrow for our city.