Community college sexual assault measure sent to Gov. Jerry Brown

Reporting from Sacramento — California lawmakers on Monday sent Gov. Jerry Brown a measure that would extend the jurisdiction of state community colleges beyond campus borders when the institutions are responding to incidents of sexual assault.

The measure would allow community colleges to suspend, expel or remove students who have committed sexual assault – even if the victim does not attend the same school or the incident did not occur on campus.

Existing law authorizes a community college to take such actions only in limited circumstances: A student may be suspended, expelled or removed only for behavior directly related to college activity or attendance.

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Schools in the University of California and Cal State systems have broader authority: They can discipline students for actions that occur outside campus borders.

“This bill is not asking community colleges to do anything other than what other California colleges and universities are currently required to do,” Assemblyman Brian Maienschein (R-San Diego) told his colleagues on the Assembly floor Monday.

The bill is SB 186 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).

Several other measures intended to address campus sexual assault are pending in the Legislature.

One would require all California colleges and universities, public or private, to disclose more information on disciplinary actions taken against student offenders.

Another would require the schools to indicate on transcripts when a student is ineligible to re-enroll because of a suspension or expulsion.

Both of those measures have passed the Assembly and face votes in the Senate.

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