By Sara Beth Williams–
For the November 2026 election, voters will be considering Measure H, a $1.1 billion bond measure that has been proposed by the Los Rios Community College District, the second largest community college district in the state.
The bond measure will be put forth to voters in Sacramento and Yolo counties in the November election, and is designed to fund repairs and facility improvements at multiple college campuses and district offices.
Measure H needs a 55 percent majority vote to pass. In 2020, another $650 million bond proposal failed to pass with the needed percentage of votes.
- A new humanities hub, STEM and Fine Arts building expansions, and an upgrade to the campus’s Public Safety Center at American River College
- The addition of a new dedicated cultural center, expansion of athletic facilities, and creating function outdoor learning spaces at Folsom Lake College,
- A technology building, more affordable student housing, and childcare and stadium upgrades at Cosumnes River College
- Renovating or constructing a new dedicated space for performing arts, and modernization of physical fitness facilities at Sacramento City College.
- District-wide upgrades, including critical safety and infrastructure upgrades such as removing asbestos and lead piping, and repairing roofing. Additionally, security and classroom technology upgrades are planned, including adding new campus monitoring systems and upgrading computer labs.
Measure H is supported by five out of seven Los Rios District trustees, four community college presidents and the Los Rios College Foundation. The Sacramento County League of Women Voters has also endorsed the measure, according to local news outlets.
Supporters for the measure say funds cannot be taken by the state, and that there must be public disclosure of all spending and annual audits. The bond is designed to help prepare students, workers and veterans for jobs with affordable college and career training facilities, and provide safe drinking water and repair leaky roofs.
In a statement of opposition, retiring Los Rios Trustee Robert Jones said Measure H is unnecessary, asking: “Why would the district want to add at least 32 new buildings when half of the existing buildings remain empty or under used. What kind of logic is this?” He also called the $1.1 billion bond an “ATM machine with no rational guidance or process that directs the selection of projects…a wishful grab bag!”
What is a bond measure?
A bond in general is the method of borrowing used by large organizations, such as school and community college districts, fire districts, and others, to fund capital improvement projects such as repairing aging buildings, remolding, or building new infrastructure.
Principal and interest payment on bonds are repaid by local property owners through an increase in property taxes over several years and even decades. Similar to the Sacramento Metro Fire District’s Measure O, a $450 million bond which passed in 2024, Measure H will add about $17 per $100,000 on a property’s assessed value to local homeowners annually for the next 25 years. Measure O taxes property assessed value at about $19 per $100,000 and passed with 69 percent of the vote in 2024.
For context, San Juan Unified School District’s Measure P, a $950 million bond, also passed in 2024, and added about $60 in taxes per $100,000 of assessed property value for homeowners.
The Los Rios Community College District serves an estimated 70,000 students, and is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees elected to four-year terms and a non-voting student trustee.
- Area 1: Represented by Dustin Johnson, covers northwest Sacramento County including Natomas and Rio Linda).
- Area 2: Represented by Robert Jones, whose term is ending, covers Citrus Heights, Orangevale, Fair Oaks, and part of Carmichael.
- Area 3: Represented by John Knight, covers Folsom and most of El Dorado County.
- Area 4: Represented by Kelly Wilkerson covers parts of Sacramento and eastern Yolo County.
- Area 5: Represented by Dr. Colette Harris-Mathews
- Area 6: Represented by Deborah Ortiz
- Area 7: Represented by Tami Nelson
- Student Trustee: Brianna Pham
