Students and Faculty Flood Board to Fight Downtown Campus Closure

The CCSF Governing Board's March 12 meeting became a referendum on the college's identity, as dozens of immigrant students, faculty and community members packed public comment to oppose the planned closure of the Downtown Center — while behind the scenes, the board confronted a proposed 27% cut to its flagship Free City tuition program and began plotting a multimillion-dollar parcel tax renewal campaign.

• Students, faculty and student government leaders deliver impassioned testimony against Downtown Campus closure; board president directs chancellor to schedule formal discussion

• Mayor's office proposes cutting Free City funding to $6.8 million — a 27% reduction — and requiring FAFSA completion, raising alarm for undocumented students in a sanctuary city

• Board begins early planning for $19 million parcel tax renewal, eyeing November 2028 ballot with two-thirds supermajority threshold

• Workforce programs report 84% job placement rate as college prepares for new federal Workforce Pell eligibility

• Emergency preparedness program revived with FEMA-based training plan extending through 2027

Of 23 public commenters at the March 12 meeting, nearly all came to deliver the same message: keep the Downtown Center open. What emerged was not just a debate about a building, but a testament to the role CCSF's ESL programs play as a first foothold for immigrants in San Francisco — and a sharp rebuke of how the closure decision was made.