Student Senate for California Community Colleges

Coordinates: 38°34′18.8″N 121°29′42.2″W / 38.571889°N 121.495056°W / 38.571889; -121.495056

Student Senate for
California Community Colleges
Formation April 29, 2015 (2015-04-29)[1]
Founder Omar Paz Jr.[2]
Type Nonprofit corporation[3]
47–5327498, tax status: Federal[4][5] and State[6]
Registration no. C3782868[7]
Legal status Active,[8] definition of[9]
Purpose Charitable,[10] R.C.T. file number CT0227572[11]
Location
Methods Legislative advocacy
and participation in state-level shared governance
Courtney L. Cooper,
President
Foundation for California Community Colleges[13]
Revenue
$147,942; 4/29/2015 (date of formation) to 12/31/2015 (FYE)
Website studentsenateccc.org
Entrance to the California Community Colleges offices at 1102 Q Street in Sacramento, California.

Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) is a nonprofit corporation. It was formed under the California "Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law" on April 29, 2015.[14]

SSCCC is organized for "charitable purposes" and for the "specific purposes" stated in its articles of incorporation. SSCCC endeavors to "improve student access, promote student success, engage and empower local student leaders, and enrich the collegiate experience for all California community college students".[15]

The activities of SSCCC are conducted and its powers are exercised by or under the direction of a "board of directors", as required by law.[16]

History

Establishment and incorporation

Section 76060.5 of the California Education Code was enacted in 1987.[17] That section provided for the collection and disbursement of "student representation fees". An "unincorporated association"[18] named Student Senate for California Community Colleges was organized on May 7, 2006.[19] That association was funded, in part, by student representation fees.

In 2013 the unincorporated SSCCC supported the amendment of Section 76060.5.[20][21] Amendments to Section 76060.5 were enacted and became effective on January 1, 2014. The amendments provide, in part, that "a statewide community college student organization" must be "established as a legal entity registered with the Secretary of State" in order to qualify to receive distributions of student representation fees from the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.[22] A nonprofit California corporation named Student Senate for California Community Colleges was established in 2015 as a means of fulfilling the "legal entity" requirement in Section 76060.5, as amended.

Predecessor organizations

The unincorporated SSCCC was established in May 2006. It was preceded by several similar organizations: the California Junior College Association;[23] the California Community College Student Government Association;[24] the Community College Student Lobby;[25] and the California Student Association of Community Colleges (CalSACC).[26]

CalSACC was established in 1987. By 2005, CalSACC's membership had dwindled to just 27 student body associations (about one-quarter of the total number of student body associations).[27] And by 2007, CalSACC had become "virtually non-existent".[28] In 2008 CalSACC's remaining assets[29] were donated to the unincorporated SSCCC. The sum of $57,150.53 was transferred to the SSCCC on June 3, 2008.[30]

CalSACC had ten organizational subdivisions, which were called “regions”. During the gradual disintegration and ultimate dissolution of CalSACC, its regions continued functioning autonomously. On May 6 and 7, 2006, community college student leaders from throughout California gathered at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Diego, California. They considered several model constitutions for a new statewide student organization. They adopted constitutional model "E" by a vote of 59 in favor and 11 opposed.[31] That model grouped the former CalSACC regions together under the name “Student Senate for California Community Colleges”. Then, each of the ten former CalSACC regions selected two representatives, and those 20 representatives ratified the SSCCC constitution on May 7, 2006. The former CalSACC regions subsequently changed their names to reflect the fact that they had become regions of the SSCCC.

Western steps and entrance of the California State Capitol.

Noteworthy events

On March 5, 2012 the SSCCC, the California State Student Association, and the University of California Student Association sponsored a rally at the California State Capitol. About 8,000 people gathered on the western steps of the capitol and listened to speeches by student leaders and by state leaders, including Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker John Pérez, and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.[32] After the rally, protestors from the Occupy movement entered the capitol and refused to leave. Officers of the California Highway Patrol arrested 72 people for trespassing.[33] These events generated dozens of news reports.[34]

Lobbying

Education Code Section 76060.5 authorizes the collection and expenditure of student representation fees. Subdivision (c)(1) of Section 76060.5 provides that such fees "shall be expended to establish and support the operations of a statewide community college student organization, recognized by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, with effective student representation and participation in state-level community college shared governance and with governmental affairs representatives to advocate before the Legislature and other state and local governmental entities".

SSCCC's representatives participate in state-level community college shared governance by serving as members of a "Consultation Council"[35] established by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. SSCCC's representatives also engage in legislative advocacy by contacting members of the California Legislature and by testifying before committees of the Legislature. Efforts to influence the decisions of California legislators and officials must be conducted in accordance with the Political Reform Act of 1974 (commencing with California Government Code Section 81000). The provisions of that Act are administered by the Political Reform Division of the California Secretary of State's office.

Principal Office and Officers

A "Statement of Information" was filed in the office of the California Secretary of State on February 8, 2017. The statement indicates that the street address of SSCCC's principal office in California is: 1102 Q Street, 5th Floor, Sacramento, California, 95811. The statement also indicates that Courtney L. Cooper is the chief executive officer of SSCCC.[36] Rudolph Villegas is the secretary (Vice President of Communications) and Cheyne Strawn is the treasurer (Vice President of Finance).[37]

Board of Governors' recognition of SSCCC

On March 20, 2017 the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges approved a "Memorandum of Understanding" which recognizes that SSCCC is a statewide community college student organization within the meaning of California Education Code Section 76060.5.[38] That recognition makes SSCCC eligible to receive distributions of student representation fees from the Board of Governors. The Memorandum of Understanding provides that the Board of Governors may cancel the memorandum upon thirty days written notice to SSCCC.[39]

The Board of Governors has also recognized SSCCC "as the representative of community college-associated student organizations before the Board of Governors and the Chancellor's Office".[40] This recognition makes SSCCC's officers and directors eligible to receive public reimbursements for the expenses that they incur while participating in community college shared governance processes. The total amount of such reimbursements may be up to $60,000 each year.

Having been recognized as the "representative of community college-associated student organizations", SSCCC has the authority to nominate persons to serve as student members of the Board of Governors. SSCCC may periodically submit to the Governor of California a list of names of at least three persons who are eligible to be appointed to the Board of Governors.[41]

References

  1. ↑ The Articles of Incorporation of Student Senate for California Community Colleges was filed in the office of the California Secretary of State on April 29, 2015. The filing of the Articles initiated SSCCC's existence as a corporation.
  2. ↑ Omar Paz Jr. signed SSCCC's articles of incorporation and he thereby became SSCCC's founder and "Incorporator".
  3. ↑ SSCCC is classified as a "Domestic Nonprofit" corporation.
  4. ↑ The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has determined that SSCCC is exempt from taxation under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
  5. ↑ SSCCC is a public charity (PC) and is "eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions".
  6. ↑ In 2016 the California Franchise Tax Board determined that SSCCC is exempt from taxation under §23701d of the California Revenue and Taxation Code. SSCCC's current status with the Franchise Tax Board may be obtained from the FTB's website.
  7. ↑ SSCCC's original articles of incorporation are filed in the office of the California Secretary of State in file number C3782868.
  8. ↑ Records maintained by the California Secretary of State show that SSCCC's legal status is "Active".
  9. ↑ SSCCC is an "Active" California corporation and is therefore entitled "to carry out its business activities".
  10. ↑ SSCCC was formed under the Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law for "charitable purposes".
  11. ↑ SSCCC is supervised by the California Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts. The Registry has assigned to SSCCC the file number CT0227572.
  12. ↑ Street map.
  13. ↑ The Foundation and SSCCC have entered into a "Management Services Agreement". That agreement became effective on July 1, 2017.
  14. ↑ Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law; Corporations Code Section 5110.
  15. ↑ Article II,B,1, Articles of Incorporation of Student Senate for California Community Colleges.
  16. ↑ "Board of directors". Corporations Code Section 5210.
  17. ↑ Assembly Bill No. 2576 proposed the enactment of Education Code Section 76060.5. That bill was drafted by Gregory G. Hayes, Vice President of the Student Association of American River College. It was introduced by Assembly Member Tom Hayden and signed into law by Governor George Deukmejian. The bill was chaptered by Secretary of State March Fong Eu as Chapter 1238 of the Statutes of 1987 (pages 4400–4401).
  18. ↑ SSCCC (2015). "Until April 29, 2015, SSCCC was operated as an unincorporated association." Second page of the "Attachments" to SSCCC's Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code ("Form 1023"; signed on November 13, 2015). A copy of that application was received by the California Attorney General's office on November 18, 2015.
  19. ↑ Roselada, Pauline. "ASSC students attend Student Senate Assembly". The Skyline View, May 14, 2006.
  20. ↑ Senate Committee on Education (2013). "Bill Analysis". California State Senate, "SUPPORT" by SSCCC, page 8.
  21. ↑ SSCCC (2013). "Support community college student representation – AB 1358". Change.org.
  22. ↑ California Education Code Section 76060.5, as amended by Chapter 714 of the Statutes of 2013; Assembly Bill No. 1358, introduced by Assembly Member Paul Fong.
  23. ↑ Winter, Carl G. “History of the Junior College Movement in California”. California State Department of Education, December 21, 1964.
  24. ↑ California Community College Student Government Association; in Opinions of the California Attorney General, Volume 65, page 638 (1982), cited in Funeral Security Plans, Inc., Plaintiff and Appellant, v. State Board of Funeral Directors et al., Defendant and Appellant.
  25. ↑ Community College Student Lobby; California Secretary of State's file number C1096599.
  26. ↑ California Student Association of Community Colleges; in Chapter 35 of the Statutes of 2007.
  27. ↑ SSCCC (2008). "A History of Student Representation". A PowerPoint presentation, page 10.
  28. ↑ Senate Committee on Education (2007). "Bill Analysis" of Senate Bill No. 283 (introduced by Senator Abel Maldonado). CalSACC is described as "virtually non-existent" on page 2 of the Bill Analysis.
  29. ↑ Remaining assets; California Corporations Code Section 18130.
  30. ↑ Donations and Grants made to the SSCCC.
  31. ↑ North, Wheeler (2006). "And the Red Rocket's Glare". Rostrum, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.
  32. ↑ hÉochaidh, Roibín Ó. "Students rally in Sacramento against public-education cuts". UC Berkeley News Center, The Regents of the University of California, March 6, 2012.
  33. ↑ Asimov, Nanette. "Sacramento higher-ed protest leads to 72 arrests". SFGate, March 6, 2012.
  34. ↑ "March in March" articles and photographs archive. City College of San Francisco.
  35. ↑ "Consultation Council". California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.
  36. ↑ A copy of the Statement of Information dated February 8, 2017 may be found on the Secretary of State's website.
  37. ↑ "2017-2018 Board Roster". SSCCC. Retrieved 7-22-2017.
  38. ↑ Minutes of the Board of Governors meeting of March 20, 2017, page 3, "Item 2.2".
  39. ↑ Memorandum of Understanding By and Between the BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES, the CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE CHANCELLOR’S OFFICE and the STUDENT SENATE FOR CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES, page 11, "Cancellation".
  40. ↑ Section 50002(b), Title 5, California Code of Regulations.
  41. ↑ California Education Code Section 71000(b)(1)(C).
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