Fewer school facilities. Higher costs for taxpayers. Reduced opportunities for young people trying to build a future in the trades. That’s what we’re getting because of the State Center Community College District’s decision to pursue a construction project labor agreement (PLA) behind closed doors.

This was an unwarranted, unasked for, and undemocratic move — one that benefits only the board members themselves and special interests at the expense of the very students the district is supposed to serve.

On Tuesday, March 4, without public engagement or proper transparency, four school board trustees — Danielle Parra, Robert Fuentes, Destiny Rodriguez, and Magdalena Gomez — rammed through a project labor agreement, directing the district to negotiate a PLA for capital construction projects tied to the recently passed Measure Q bond.

Let’s be clear: This was not a mandate from the voters, it was a political kickback. This was a backroom deal, slipped into the agenda on Friday prior to the meeting, designed to avoid scrutiny and reward members of the board with aspirations for higher office.

Some trustees are clearly using their seats to advance their own political careers, whether it’s aspiring to countywide office, the state Assembly, or the state Senate. There is no better way to curry favor with powerful special interests and gain their future campaign contributions than by handing them exclusive control over more than $1.4 billion in school construction contracts.

Voters Pass $698 Million Bond to Help Students, not Special Interests

Last fall, local voters supported state Proposition 2 and State Center’s $698 million Measure Q to improve infrastructure and expand access for students — not to funnel new tax dollars to special interests.

Now, regional working-class families will pay the price. PLAs take money directly out of the pockets of local tradespeople by expressly prohibiting over 80% of the local construction workforce from working on these college construction projects. It’s OK for them to pay the taxes that fund the construction, but not to work there. Shockingly, the PLA will also shut out the school district’s own students, those currently training for a future in construction.

It is a well-documented fact that PLAs inflate construction costs and most frequently cause project delays and missed schedules. Recently, the city of Fresno shared how its PLA failed to meet stated local hiring goals. In 2024, Gov. Newsom vetoed PLA mandates, announcing them as inefficient and too costly for a state facing deficits.

Yet, the SCCCD Board thinks they know better and are rushing a PLA through without proper discussion or oversight. No public study session. No formal evaluation. No genuine engagement with students or community members who will be directly affected.

The right way to handle a decision of this magnitude would have been to call for a public study session, bring stakeholders to the table, and let the data speak for itself. Instead, the board rushed through a decision that will lock out most of the local workforce and will almost certainly lead to fewer schools being built, fewer students being served, and taxpayer money wasted.

If this board truly cared about students, working families, and responsible governance they would have rejected this PLA. Their vote unfortunately shows they do not. They should be ashamed, and the students they represent deserve better.

About the Author

Matthew Estipona is the director of Government Affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors Northern California.

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