An Open Letter to the Santa Monica College Trustees

Last week, the Los Angeles Business Journal published an article describing the impact the lack of qualified auto technicians is having on our economy. Entitled "Industry Wrenched by Demand for Qualified Auto Mechanics" (May 24), the article describes how major auto manufactures such as BMW, Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. are partnering with community colleges to train auto technicians.

The Business Journal reported that the auto industry nationally will need 35,000 new technicians each year through 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics.

What a shame Santa Monica College dismantled its successful automotive program last year and displaced dozens of students from their majors – all in the name of predicted budget cuts that never materialized.

What a crime the college administration – only months after claiming to be so impoverished it needed to permanently eliminate this program – liquidated the auto technology department’s inventory by giving away over $1 million worth of equipment!

For 50 years, SMC’s automotive program trained young men and women who went on to work in auto shops in Santa Monica. Now it’s gone.

I implore you to seek a partnership with one of these national automakers to restore our college’s automotive program. Our students deserve it, our
community needs it, and our economy demands it.

Sincerely,