As Assembly Budget Chair, I'm proud of the strides we've made to make higher education more accessible. It's important to me to champion more slots for students at our public universities because I know a college degree can lead to brighter futures.

But as we expand enrollment, we must also build more student housing and have allocated a total of $4 billion over three years, from 2022 to 2025, to help the University of California, California State University and community colleges do that.

From that pool of funding, I announced today $116 million dollars will go to our district's own San Francisco State University (SFSU). This allocation will help build a new residence hall on West Campus Green, providing 750 beds for first-year students. The California State University Systemwide Revenue Bond Program will also finance this project. Currently slated to open in Fall 2024, it could ease pressures on the area's housing market because when hundreds of students are able to live at school, it frees up rentals everywhere else.

In addition, with another $2.5 million in state funding, SFSU can create a new space for about a dozen student groups. From Asian American and Pacific Islander Students Services to the Black Unity Center, they will all be in one central location. They are currently operating out of dorm rooms, which will be freed up for more housing in about a year when the Cross-Cultural Center is complete. When they're all together, new opportunities will arise to collaborate and promote student success.

I can't wait for both projects to be completed!