By Monica Levitan - Diverse Education
California Assembly Member Miguel Santiago, who represents the 53rd District in Los Angeles, introduced legislation this week that would provide students with two free years of community college.
Miguel Santiago at the press conference on Tuesday.
The legislation, called AB 2, would waive tuition for two years for first-time community college students enrolled full-time, according to ABC7.
“Every student that comes through a community college should at least have the opportunity to earn their associate’s degree. It takes two years…but their travel through LACCD or any other community college ought to lead somewhere and it ought to be a public school,” Santiago said.
An education shouldn’t cost people financial hardships or their life savings, he said at the press conference.
Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti also attended the conference and spoke in favor of the legislation.
“We need AB 2, two years of free community, two years of dreams, two years of free opportunity to work hard and to find what your goals are,” Garcetti said.