Cerritos College receives $17M for transit, facility projects
NORWALK – Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Assemblymember Cristina Garcia presented checks totaling nearly $17 million in state funding to Cerritos College on October 19.
Speaker Rendon secured a Prop 98 allocation of $16 million to support the construction of Cerritos College’s new Student Services and Administration Center. Assemblymember Garcia was instrumental in securing $600,000 to support the College’s student transit program to help students ride transit without the worry of paying fares.
Cerritos College is the only community college to receive state funding through legislative priorities to support student transit efforts.
The Student Services and Administration Center will become the College’s new gateway. The facility is part of the campus’s Facilities Master Plan to create the best student learning environment by offering more centralized resources.
The center will provide support programs to help students and the community utilize the College’s renowned resources like Financial Aid, Counseling, and EOPS, among others.
Students will also have access to affordable transportation through the College’s free GoPass in partnership with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Fareless System Initiative.
At Cerritos College, 70 percent of students qualify for the California College Promise Grant, which waives enrollment fees to attend school. Fifty percent of students receive a federal Pell grant that is awarded to students with exceptional financial needs – indicating they are low-income and in dire financial straits.
“I was pleased to work with Assemblymember Garcia to secure this much-needed funding to modernize the learning environment at Cerritos Community College,” said Speaker Rendon, a proud alumnus of Cerritos College. “These are the types of educational investments that make a difference for our local communities.”
“I would like to emphasize the importance of education in our community to develop our future leaders and changemakers. At the state level, I am advocating for bridging gaps and making education accessible and equitable,” said Assemblymember Garcia.
“This allocation will break barriers for Cerritos College students and provide free transportation to school while promoting sustainability.”
“We appreciate Speaker Rendon and Assemblymember Garcia’s support for our projects to provide quality education and learning environment to our residents as a means to increase social mobility and improve their lives,” said Cerritos College President/Superintendent Dr. Jose Fierro.
“We strive to be a good steward of taxpayer money by constantly seeking additional funding opportunities to stretch our bond dollars and resources. Updated instructional facilities are crucial to providing affordable and quality education to students so they can prepare for today’s in-demand jobs and competitive global economy.
“The transportation support will ensure our students can travel to campus and their jobs without the burden of paying for transportation and increase their ability to achieve their educational goals on time.
“By providing access to transportation, we are also helping change their life trajectories.”