Public postsecondary education: community colleges: statewide baccalaureate degree program.

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. Existing law requires a community college district to identify and document unmet workforce needs in the subject area of the baccalaureate degree to be offered and offer a baccalaureate degree at a campus in a subject area with unmet workforce needs in the local community or region of the district. Existing law prohibits a community college district baccalaureate degree program from offering a baccalaureate degree program or program curricula already offered by the California State University or the University of California. Beginning January 1, 2028, this bill would specify that a community college district identify and document unmet current or projected future workforce needs and offer a baccalaureate degree at a campus in a subject area with unmet current or projected workforce needs. The bill would instead prohibit a community college district from offering a baccalaureate degree program or program curricula already offered by the University of California, or a campus of the California State University whose local service area includes, or overlaps with, the territory of the community college district, except as provided. The bill would require a community college district's eligibility to offer a baccalaureate degree program to be determined based on a tiered framework using the community college district's rate of students who earned an award or transferred, as specified. Before submitting an application for a baccalaureate degree program, the bill would encourage a community college district to obtain a determination of unmet current or projected future workforce need for a specific baccalaureate degree program from the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, as provided. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 78042 of the Education Code proposed by AB 2694 to be operative only if this bill and AB 2694 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would make the operation of its provisions contingent upon the enactment of AB 2694 of the 2025–26 Regular Session.