Aid Concord campus

Contra Costa Times 2/9/07

Contra Costa County is the largest county in the state not to have a four-year public college in it. That is nothing short of shameful for a county with more than 1 million people. That's the bad news. The good news is that this year we can begin to do something about it.

What we have now is a window of opportunity for Cal State East Bay Concord Campus.

Yes, it is a mouthful, but the school is in the throes of what could be called a legislative harmonic convergence the likes of which it may never see again.

New Assemblyman Mark DeSaulnier is from Concord and has been a major supporter of the institution. Although DeSaulnier is new to Sacramento, he is extraordinarily energetic and he has the experience to rise rapidly within the party that controls the Legislature.

State Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, meanwhile, is chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and represents a district that stands to benefit greatly by a thriving and vibrant four-year campus in Concord. He, too, has been a major supporter of the institution. And right now it would seem that he has the legislative juice to help foster its development.

Not to mention that one of the worst-kept political secrets in the East Bay is that Torlakson plans to run for state superintendent of education in 2010. One cannot help but think that serving as a catalyst to help push the Concord campus further down the road of development would be an accomplishment worth trumpeting in that campaign.

Then there is Senate leader Don Perata, who is from Oakland and has many in his district who benefit from both Cal State East Bay campuses. Certainly, he will be of great assistance to the school in the Legislature.

On top of all that legislative firepower, the new president of Cal State East Bay, Mo Qayoumi, is an energetic and enthusiastic supporter of developing the Concord campus.

In the past, the debate about the Concord campus has centered far too much on whether it would remain as a branch campus of Cal State East Bay or strike out on its own as a separate Cal State university.

At this point, such debate is premature. To us, that is much like parents saying they want to send their toddler to law school. Maybe someday, but not now. Sure, becoming a separate Cal State university should be the goal -- someday. But right now, and for some time to come, the economies of scale don't make financial sense.

The school, which currently offers mostly upper-division courses, must become a thriving and growing four-year branch before it can even think about becoming a separate university.

Taken together, these circumstances demand action be taken in the Legislature.

So we must encourage DeSaulnier, Torlakson and Perata to form the Cal State East Bay Concord Campus caucus and to not only put the development of the campus on their list, but also to put it near the top. They must ensure that the school has proper funding for its future development.

Doing so will right a horrible wrong and leave a legacy for generations of students to come.