CA Assemblymember Fong's Student Debt Cancellation Bill Pending Floor Vote This Month

CA State Assemblymember Mike Fong, a leader in higher education, working to increase access and affordability. Image courtesy of Fong for Assembly 2022

California Assemblymember Mike Fong, representing the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, introduced AB 1958, that establishes the Community College Student Access, Retention, and Debt Cancellation Program to provide fiscal incentives to encourage the enrollment and re-enrollment of students at the California Community Colleges

According to Fong, “the COVID-19 pandemic brought immediate changes to education as a whole, and community colleges have been no exception. As a result of the pandemic, the rates of students enrolling into community college, as well as the rates of those continuing their community college education, have severely declined.

The Legislature has already taken meaningful action to reverse these rates, notably with last

year’s appropriation of $120 million toward supporting community colleges’ efforts in bolstering their retention rates and enrollment. Still, we can build upon this investment by expressly addressing the fiscal challenges of education.

To do exactly that, AB 1958 would create the Community College Student Access, Retention,

and Debt Cancellation Program (CCSARDCP). This program would provide funding to

community colleges for the purpose of encouraging the enrollment or re-enrollment of students at the CCC through fiscal incentives, including the discharging of students’ debt or unpaid balances.”

Mike Fong was elected to the 49th District of the California State Assembly in February 2022, where he is honored to represent Alhambra, Arcadia, El Monte, Monterey Park, Rosemead, Temple City, San Marino, San Gabriel and parts of Montebello and South El Monte.

In the Assembly, Mike serves on the Appropriations; Banking and Finance; Privacy and Consumer Protection; Rules; and Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism, and Internet Media Committees. His priorities include expanding access to quality higher education, healthcare, protecting the environment, ensuring public safety, creating jobs, and addressing homelessness.

Prior to his election to the Assembly, Mike served as a Trustee of the Los Angeles Community College District. There, he pushed forward policies that increased student success, improved educational access and quality, and expanded workforce education and high-growth sector training programs at the nine community colleges serving over 250,000 students across Los Angeles and surrounding cities.

A lifelong public servant, Mike has led teams in his various professional roles with the City of Los Angeles, working on issues such as housing access, civic engagement, youth employment, workforce development, and education. Most recently, he served as the Director of Policy and Government Relations for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. He was previously the East Area Director for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a Field Deputy for Los Angeles Councilmember Ed Reyes. In these roles, Mike served the dynamic and diverse communities of Northeast and East areas of Los Angeles.

A product of Los Angeles County, Mike graduated from California State University at Northridge with a Master of Public Administration in Public Sector Management & Leadership and from University of California at Los Angeles with a B.S. in Psychobiology and a minor in Education.

Learn more about Mike Fong at https://a49.asmdc.org/