LACCD Chancellor speaks out against Los Angeles Times articles

Six part series on the Build LACCD program draws criticism

Sienna Jackson / Roundup

The Los Angeles Times has published the first two installments of what will become a six-part investigative piece on mismanagement and wasteful spending by the Los Angeles Community College District’s roughly $6 billion Build LACCD program.

The Build program is responsible for the ongoing renovations of the Pierce College campus and its eight sister schools in the LACCD system.

Pierce College received at least $290 million from Proposition A (passed in 2001) and AA (2003) for the renovation of existing structures, according to a 2010 report from the Pierce College Bond Oversight Committee.

LACCD Chancellor Daniel J. LaVista released a formal statement yesterday about the Times investigation, calling the series “sensationalist.”

“The timing is suspect, and the reporting is one-sided. So far, we are sorely disappointed,” said LaVista. “While the Times notes that half the $6 billion is still to be spent and there is time to “correct” things, I say to the Times that with only two articles published, there is an even better opportunity to correct their sensationalist tone and one-sided and biased reporting.”

The $6 billion in funding comes to the LACCD in the form of bonds passed from measures and propositions passed by Los Angeles voters in the last decade, with spending managed by the civilian Bond Oversight Committee.

Build LACCD breakdown:

• Current expenditure: $2,933,331,631

• Remaining budget: $3,179,692,099

• Expected completion: 2014