O’Connell Will Take Lead on Cal State Bill
Hoping to hasten the conversion of Camarillo State Hospital into the 23rd campus of the California State University system, state Sen. Jack O’Connell (D-San Luis Obispo) announced Thursday that he will introduce legislation for the transfer.
O’Connell said the legislation for Cal State Channel Islands will be introduced to the Senate Education Committee by March and could be on Gov. Pete Wilson’s desk by November.
The bill will be drafted with the help of CSU officials, who are also putting together a review of the resources necessary to convert the hospital into a four-year university, O’Connell said.
The legislation would officially transfer the property from the state Department of Social Services to the Cal State system. Ventura County is the only county in Southern California that does not have a public university campus.
“We want to keep the momentum rolling and the realization of delivering a four-year, full-time, full-fledged university to Ventura County,” O’Connell said.
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