Assembly BillVetoedEducation
AB 664: Community colleges: baccalaureate degree program: Southwestern Community College District.
What AB 664 does, verified October 5, 2026
The bill authorizes the California Community Colleges to offer no more than 4 workforce-aligned baccalaureate degree programs. It allows the chancellor of the California Community Colleges to grant special authorization to the southwestern community college district to provide these degree programs. The bill requires evaluations of the degree programs by the Legislative Analyst's Office, to be conducted by July 1, 2030, and again by July 1, 2034. These evaluations will assess the effectiveness and impact of the degree programs. The bill will repeal these provisions on January 1, 2035, unless reauthorized.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
✓Second ChamberComplete
5GovernorCurrent
6ChapteredPending
Last action: Vetoed by Governor. (2026-09-27)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions26 total · showing 5
| Sep. 27, 2026 | Vetoed by Governor. |
| Sep. 14, 2026 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 1:30 p.m. |
| Aug. 31, 2026 | Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 68. Noes 1. Page 7030.). |
| Aug. 31, 2026 | In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. |
| Aug. 31, 2026 | Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.). |
Latest bill textEnrolled version, September 4, 2026 · 1,609 words
| Enrolled September 04, 2026 |
| Passed IN Senate August 31, 2026 |
| Passed IN Assembly August 31, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate August 21, 2026 |
| Amended IN Senate May 22, 2026 |
| Amended IN Assembly January 05, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 664
| Introduced by Assembly Member Alvarez (Coauthors: Assembly Members Boerner and Jeff Gonzalez) (Coauthor: Senator Padilla) |
February 14, 2025 |
An act to add and repeal Article 3.3 (commencing with Section 78047) of Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 664, Alvarez. Community colleges: baccalaureate degree program: Southwestern Community College District.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state and authorizes them to provide instruction at the campuses they operate. Existing law authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with the California State University and the University of California, to authorize the establishment of community college district baccalaureate degree programs, as provided.
This bill would authorize the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to authorize the Southwestern Community College District to offer no more than 4 workforce-aligned baccalaureate degree programs, one each in forensic studies, allied health education and leadership, interaction design, and teaching English to speakers of other languages, as provided. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst’s Office to, on or before July 1, 2031, conduct and present to the Legislature and the Governor an interim evaluation of any of the baccalaureate degree programs that are offered pursuant to that authorization and, on or before July 1, 2035, a final evaluation of those degree programs, as provided. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2037.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Southwestern Community College District.
This bill would not become operative if either AB 2694 or SB 960 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, or both of those bills, are enacted and take effect on or before January 1, 2027.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) The City of Chula Vista is the largest city in California with a population exceeding 200,000 that does not have a public university offering baccalaureate degree programs. This gap has created a barrier to higher education access for the 585,000 residents of South San Diego County, where the Southwestern Community College District (SWC) is the sole public postsecondary educational institution.
(b) Labor market analyses conducted by the San Diego Regional Policy and Innovation Center and the University Now Initiative have identified 147 priority occupations critical to regional economic growth. These occupations require baccalaureate degrees in fields such as business, health care, technology, and the arts, which are in high demand and largely unmet by existing public postsecondary educational institution offerings in the area.
(c) Workforce projections for South San Diego County anticipate the creation of over 25,000 jobs by 2033, with the majority of these requiring baccalaureate degrees. Expanding access to baccalaureate degrees at SWC will directly address regional labor shortages while supporting educational equity.
(d) The binational nature of the region, which includes substantial cross-border commuting for work and education, underscores the need for accessible, bilingual, and bicultural degree programs tailored to meet the unique demands of the California-Mexico border area.
(e) Community colleges have demonstrated the capacity to offer high-quality baccalaureate degree programs that align with workforce demands, as evidenced by the success of the California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Degree Program.
(f) Workforce-aligned baccalaureate degree programs in forensic studies, allied health education and leadership, interaction design, and teaching English to speakers of other languages address documented regional labor market needs in South San Diego County.
SEC. 2.
Article 3.3 (commencing with Section 78047) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:Article 3.3. Southwestern Community College District Workforce-Aligned Baccalaureate Degree Programs
78047.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:(a) “Regional public university” means a public university located within the community college district’s service area.
(b) “Underserved, college desert area” means the designated service area of a community college district that does not include a public university and where the nearest public university majors have been declared “impacted.”
78047.5.
(a) (1) Notwithstanding Section 66010.4 or Article 3 (commencing with Section 78040), the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges may authorize the Southwestern Community College District to offer no more than four workforce-aligned baccalaureate degree programs, one in each of the following fields:(A) Forensic Studies.
(B) Allied Health Education and Leadership.
(C) Interaction Design.
(D) Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
(2) The chancellor shall ensure that the application and review procedures and requirements described in paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of subdivision (h) of Section 78042 are met for any program authorized pursuant to this article.
(b) The governing board of the Southwestern Community College District shall submit proposals for baccalaureate degree programs to be authorized pursuant to this article to the chancellor. A proposal shall include all of the following:
(1) Data supporting the regional labor-market demand for the proposed degree program.
(2) Data demonstrating the lack of availability of the proposed degree program at the regional public universities or the inability of a degree program offered at a regional public university to meet the demand for the degreed, skilled workforce in the region.
(3) Evidence of collaboration that prioritizes structured partnerships between the Southwestern Community College District and regional public universities to avoid unnecessary duplication and to expand access to baccalaureate degrees. The structured partnerships may include, but not be limited to, any of the following:
(A) Guaranteed transfer agreements.
(B) 2+2 articulation agreements.
(C) Dual enrollment pathways with high school and public university partners such as 1+1+2 models.
(D) Credit for prior learning.
(E) Shared use of facilities to support colocation or cross-location delivery models.
(4) Evidence of program approval through the appropriate accreditation body, if necessary.
(c) Full-time equivalent students enrolled in a baccalaureate program authorized pursuant to this article shall be included in the funding model developed and adopted pursuant to, and the fee provisions described in, subdivision (g) of Section 78042.
78047.6.
(a) On or before July 1, 2031, the Legislative Analyst’s Office shall conduct and present to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, and to the Governor, an interim evaluation of any baccalaureate degree programs offered pursuant to this article that includes all of the following:(1) Which programs, if any, were approved by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
(2) Which programs, if any, were denied by the chancellor.
(3) Trends in workforce demand in the region that may require additional degree programs to be offered by the Southwestern Community College District or other regional partners.
(4) Completion rates, if available, for each cohort of students in the degree programs.
(5) Information on the impact of the degree programs on underserved and underprepared students.
(6) Information regarding other forms of collaboration between the Southwestern Community College District and public universities to address workforce demand in the region.
(b) On or before July 1, 2035, the Legislative Analyst’s Office shall conduct and present to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, and to the Governor, a final evaluation of any baccalaureate degree programs offered pursuant to this article that includes all of the following:
(1) Data regarding students participating in the degree programs, including the number of applicants, admitted students, enrolled students, and degree recipients.
(2) The extent to which the degree programs meet identified workforce needs in the region, including regional supply and demand data that considers the capacity of the California State University, the University of California, and the independent colleges and universities in the region.
(3) Information on the place of employment of students in the degree programs and the subsequent job placement of graduates of the degree programs.
(4) Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for students in the degree programs.
(5) Information regarding other areas of collaboration between the Southwestern Community College District and regional partners and how those partnerships addressed regional workforce needs.
(6) Information on the impact of the degree programs on underserved and underprepared students.
(7) Recommendations on whether and how the degree programs can or should be expanded or amended based on the results of the evaluation.
(c) (1) The Southwestern Community College District shall provide the information necessary to conduct the evaluations, as determined by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, to the chancellor.
(2) The chancellor shall provide the information received pursuant to paragraph (1) to the Legislative Analyst’s Office upon request.
78048.
This article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2037, and as of that date is repealed.SEC. 3.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique positioning of the Southwestern Community College District service area, being in an underserved, college desert area.SEC. 4.
This act shall not become operative if Assembly Bill 2694 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, Senate Bill 960 of the 2025–26 Regular Session, or both of those bills are enacted and take effect on or before January 1, 2027.Text of AB 664 as enrolled, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions