Legislative Priorities

California Community Colleges (CCCs) partner with K-12 districts, universities, and industry to provide career ladder opportunities that are in direct response to the current labor market needs. It is vital that the State continues to support the CCC Baccalaureate Degree Program to help close equity gaps and improve student pathways to greater economic mobility. Additionally, continued investments in the Strong Workforce Program, Guided Pathways, Dual Enrollment, Entrepreneurships, Apprenticeships and Career Education, help our campuses ensure our students are trained, retrained, and prepared for the labor industries that are growing in our region.

The District strongly supports ongoing investments and policies that support the CCC’s in preparing our students for the workforce, boosting enrollment, and meeting labor market demands, including implementation of the California Cradle-to-Career Data System.

Student success is directly impacted by access to basic needs, such as food, housing, textbooks, technology, transportation, childcare, and mental health services. The District strongly supports any policy and/or budget-related efforts aimed at increasing every student’s—both credit and noncredit—ability to access basic needs and mental health services. The District supports maximum flexibility with the use of these funds, to best meet the individual needs of our students.

The District supports:

• Policies and resources that assist students with digital literacy, security, and safety, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity and privacy to ensure they can navigate online learning environments responsibly and successfully while protecting their personal information
• Policies and financial resources to provide students with access to technology, including broadband connections, computers, and software, while prioritizing cybersecurity measures and privacy protections to ensure safe and secure use of these tools
• The need for resources for campuses to successfully transition courses to online and distance platforms, including the need for professional development, training, and technology support for staff and faculty.

The District is committed to DEIAA initiatives with the goal of developing an intercultural proficient community of students, faculty, staff and management. The District supports policies that systemically dismantle racism, and further advancing equity, equity-mindedness, civil rights, racial justice, equal opportunity, and inclusion efforts for CCCs.

The District is committed to creating a sense of belonging on campus and throughout the District, with our students, faculty, staff and management. The District will support policies that further growth and equity-minded practices, and create a more diverse and equitable campus environment and place of work.

The District has one of the largest noncredit centers in California: North Orange Continuing Education (NOCE). NOCE serves over 25,000 students a year through such programs as high school diploma, English as a second language, parenting, and career certification classes. Historically, there have been several examples of statewide community college initiatives implemented that have not adequately considered the special administration challenges inherent to noncredit education, even when that inclusion would have been a valuable addition to the initiative. The District will continue to advocate for equitable legislative and regulatory consideration for all students, both credit and noncredit, and programs.

The District supports noncredit programs preserving the same level of access to all eligible funding sources, including California Adult Education Program, Strong Workforce Program, and Student Equity and Achievement Program.

The District continues to implement strategies to regain enrollment, it is important that policymakers understand the volatility of the marketplace.

During the next several years, it is critical that the State support the long-term financial stability of our system, including funding for growth and COLA for all categories, including the Student Equity and Achievement Program (SEAP). It is also critical that the State continue on-going financial investments in the PERS and STRS pension system. The State should also re-evaluate the Faculty Obligation Number (FON) in a fair and equitable way and consider updates to the 50% law. Finally, the District urges policy makers to consider funding that is needed for local deferred maintenance.

Federal financial aid consists of student loans and need-based financial aid, such as the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), and Federal Work-Study. The District will engage in advocacy on policy proposals that result in significant changes to federal financial aid, including increased student aid support through efforts to make community college free for students, as well as policy changes related to Pell grants, accreditation, regulation reform, student loans, and additional transparency. It is important during these policy debates that any changes to law reflect California’s diverse student population and needs. The cost to attend community college in California encompasses much more than just fees. All of the support needed to ensure access and success for a student’s ability to achieve their educational goals, such as transportation, childcare, textbooks, housing and food, should be taken into account. The District will advocate to ensure all students—both noncredit and credit—are able to access federal financial aid grants and/or resources in a timely and predictable manner. The District will also advocate for preserving and strengthening federal programs as any effort to dismantle or weaken the systems that administer these critical resources to our students and institutions would have a devasting impact on students and threaten.

Timely and predictable disbursement of financial aid is equally important as delays can jeopardize enrollment, housing stability, and academic success. Students cannot afford to wait for the support they need to stay in school. These programs are not just funding mechanisms; they represent a commitment to opportunity and upward mobility for millions of students. Protecting these resources ensures that every student has the ability to achieve their educational goals and contribute to the economic and social vitality of our communities

The District opposes any proposed cuts in the Labor-HHS-Education bill to federal funding streams that California Community Colleges use to support student success, such as Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) funding. The District supports the option of having dual designations as both AANAPISI and HSI Institutions and the opportunity to receive funding for serving both student populations. The District supports maintaining level funding, or increasing funding, for Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs that we use to bolster the local labor workforce. These funds are critical to maintaining a thriving economy in our region, state, and nation.

Student success is directly impacted by access to basic needs, such as food, housing, technology, transportation, childcare, and mental health services. According to the Hope Center’s 2023-2024 Student Basic Needs Survey Report, which gathered responses from approximately 74,350 students, 59% reported experiencing at least one form of basic-needs insecurity, including 41% reported food insecurity and 48% reported hosing insecurity. The District strongly supports any policy and/or budget-related efforts aimed at increasing every students’—both credit and noncredit—ability to access basic needs and mental health services.

The District also supports:

• Maximum flexibility with the use of these funds, to best meet the individual needs of our students.
• Policies and resources that assist students with digital literacy, security, and safety, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity and privacy to ensure they can navigate online learning environments responsibly and successfully while protecting their personal information.
• Policies and financial resources to provide students with access to technology, including broadband connections, computers, and software, while prioritizing cybersecurity measures and privacy protections to ensure safe and secure use of these tools. 
• The need for resources for campuses to successfully transition courses to online and distance platforms, including the need for professional development, training, and technology support for staff and faculty.

The District will engage on cybersecurity as a topic of interest given the amount of sensitive personal information collected on students and the vital role that the District plays in educating and developing the workforce in Orange County. In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a series of recommendations regarding how the federal government can streamline the reporting of cyber incidents Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping education and the workforce, creating enormous opportunities for innovation and career advancement. However, without intentional investment, AI literacy risks becoming the next tech divide, leaving community college students, many of whom are from diverse and underserved backgrounds, behind in an increasingly AI-driven economy. Federal policy must ensure equitable access to AI tools and training so that all students can benefit from these advancements. At the same time, the rise of AI raises urgent concerns about student privacy and the protection of digital footprints.

Colleges are currently held accountable for compliance with federal privacy laws like FERPA, while many technology companies that access student data are not required to build these protections into their own practices. Strong federal standards, clear regulations, and accountability measures are needed to safeguard student records and ensure transparency in technology partnerships. The federal government must work collaboratively with states, local governments, and relevant stakeholders to advance policies that protect student privacy, expand AI literacy programs, and support faculty training. These actions will help close equity gaps, build trust in higher education systems, and prepare students for success in an AI-driven future.public school systems, there must be adequate investment in cybersecurity. Lastly, the need to have an auditable and secure system to verify student enrollments and corresponding financial and sensitive personal information is critical. The District supports policies and resources to implement safe cybersecurity measures.

The District will engage on cybersecurity as a topic of interest given the amount of sensitive personal information collected on students and the vital role that the District plays in educating and developing the workforce in Orange County. In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a series of recommendations regarding how the federal government can streamline the reporting of cyber incidents to better protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. Given the increase in ransomware attacks, including on public school systems, there must be adequate investment in cybersecurity. Lastly, the need to have an auditable and secure system to verify student enrollments and corresponding financial and sensitive personal information is critical. The District supports policies and resources that promote cybersecurity practices and provides flexible funding for training, technology, and implementation.

The District will be poised to advance local projects with our Congressional Representatives by requesting priority funding through Congressionally directed spending requests. These projects may be focused on a variety of District-wide matters, such as student transportation concerns, educational programming, or veteran educational-related issues. The District will advocate for the support of these critical projects by requesting federal funding to ensure implementation.

NOCCCD is committed to serving all students who can benefit from a post-secondary education, without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, immigration status, age, gender, language, socio-economic status, gender identity or expression, medical condition or disability. California is home to more than two million undocumented immigrants and estimates find that approximately 75,000 undocumented students are enrolled in California’s public and independent colleges and universities.

The District will continue to support undocumented students by creating safe spaces for students to feel welcome and included, providing financial resources to all students, advocating for scholarships, building relationships with community leaders, and advocacy for policy change. In addition, the District is committed to providing professional development opportunities to all faculty, staff, and management employees to bring awareness of the needs of our undocumented students, communities, and families. Along with Governor Newsom and the California Community Colleges’ Chancellor’s Office, NOCCCD supports policy advocacy efforts that increase access and provide resources that support undocumented students’ persistence in higher education.