February 27, 2026
The Honorable Alex Padilla
U.S. Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Adam Schiff
U.S. Senate
112 Hart Senate Office
Building Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Dave Min
United States House of Representatives
1034 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
RE: Request for Support for FY27 Community Project Funding, Golden West College –Engineering, Computer Science, and Drafting Lab
Dear Senator Padilla, Senator Schiff and Congressman Min,
I am writing to support Golden West College’s Classroom Retrofit proposal to establish a singular instructional space for three integrated academic and workforce programs: Engineering, Computer Science, and Computer Aided Design & Drafting (CADD). This initiative is a timely and strategic investment in student achievement, particularly for those navigating rigorous STEM disciplines.
The new space is designed to be multifunctional and modular, supporting hands-on STEM education and technical skills development for cohorts of up to 40 students. The revitalized classrooms will support multiple initiatives, including the Basic Circuits Lab, Basic Statics Lab, and Makerspace workstations.
These improvements prioritize efficient use of space, shared infrastructure and scalability to serve multiple academic and workforce pathways. The investments also minimize future retrofit costs while expanding access to high-quality, hands-on STEM instruction, fulfilling the college’s broader institutional goals of closing equity gaps and improving student success rates in Math and STEM.
I strongly encourage full and favorable consideration of this proposal. The return on investment in student achievement, retention, and engagement will be substantial and will reverberate across the campus and the broader community.
Sincerely,
Diane B. Dixon Assemblymember, 72nd District
