AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 22, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

98

Introduced by Assembly Member Solache

February 20, 2026

An act to amend Section 72024 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: no   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state under the administration of community college district governing boards. Existing law requires the governing board of each community college district to establish, maintain, operate, and govern one or more community colleges, as provided. Existing law authorizes the compensation of governing board members that actually attend all meetings held by the governing board, not to exceed a specified amount from $120 to $1,500, inclusive, based on the number of full-time equivalent students in the community college district, as provided.

This bill would increase the authorized compensation for community college district governing board members that actually attend all meetings held by the governing board, not to exceed a specified amount from $600 to $4,500, inclusive, based on the number of full-time equivalent students in the community college district, as provided. The bill would require the governing board to provide public notice at least 30 days before a public meeting at which the governing board proposes to increase the compensation of the governing board members, as provided.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 72024 of the Education Code is amended to read:

72024.

(a) (1) In any a community college district that is not located in a city and county, and in which the full-time equivalent students (FTES) for the prior college year exceeded 60,000, the governing board may prescribe, as compensation for the services of each member of the governing board of a community college district who actually attends all meetings held by the governing board, a sum not to exceed four thousand five hundred dollars ($4,500) in any month.

(2) In any a community college district in which the FTES for the prior college year was 60,000 or less, but more than 25,000, each member of the governing board of the community college district who actually attends all meetings held by the governing board may receive as compensation for the member’s service a sum not to exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) in any month.

(3) In any a community college district in which the FTES for the prior college year was 25,000 or less, but more than 10,000, each member of the governing board of the community college district who actually attends all meetings held by the governing board may receive as compensation for the member’s service a sum not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000) in any month.

(4) In any a community college district in which the FTES for the prior college year was 10,000 or less, but more than 1,000, each member of the governing board of the community college district who actually attends all meetings held by the governing board may receive as compensation for the member’s service a sum not to exceed one thousand two hundred dollars ($1,200) in any month.

(5) In any a community college district in which the FTES for the prior college year was 1,000 or less, but more than 150, each member of the governing board of the community college district who actually attends all meetings held by the governing board may receive as compensation for the member’s service a sum not to exceed six hundred dollars ($600) in any month.

(b) Any A member of a governing board of a community college district who does not attend all meetings held by the governing board in any month may receive, as compensation for the member’s service, an amount not greater than a pro rata share of the number of meetings actually attended based upon the maximum compensation authorized by this section.

(c) The compensation of members of the governing board of a community college district newly organized or reorganized shall be governed by subdivision (a). For this purpose, the total FTES in all of the community colleges of the community college district in the college year that the organization or reorganization became effective shall be deemed to be the FTES in the community college district for the prior college year.

(d) A member of the governing board of a community college district may be paid for any meeting when absent if the governing board, by resolution duly adopted and included in its minutes, finds that, at the time of the meeting, the member is performing services outside the meeting for the community college district, the member was ill or on jury duty, or the member’s absence was due to a hardship deemed acceptable by the governing board. The compensation shall be a charge against the funds of the community college district.

(e) On an annual basis, the governing board of a community college district may increase the compensation of individual governing board members beyond the limits delineated in this section, in an amount not to exceed 5 percent based on the present monthly rate of compensation. Any An increase made pursuant to this section shall be effective upon approval by the governing board. board of the community college district. The action may be rejected by a majority of the voters in that community college district voting in a referendum established for that purpose, as prescribed by Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 9100) of Division 9 of the Elections Code.