The executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Miguel Contreras, is proposing a plan that would levy a new corporate tax to fund community college tuition and textbooks for all Los Angeles residents. According to Contreras the plan would both address employers' needs for more skilled workers and create a labor-student alliance. Local business leaders have declined to comment on the proposal at this time but it is expected that raising taxes will be strongly opposed.
See "Labor Head Seeks Ties to Students", Nancy Cleeland, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2004