<p>California, home to a quarter of the nation’s community college students, could reap huge benefits from President Obama’s $8 billion plan to pair local businesses and schools.</p>
<p>Bay Area community colleges are expected to compete for the money aimed at teaching students the skills they need to fill job opportunities in their regions. </p>
<p>“The initiative is definitely competitive, which does mean that California will get a large portion of the funds,” said David Baime, senior vice president for Government Relations and Research at the American Community College Association.</p>
<p>The proposal comes as the state’s community colleges face a $149 million deficit, which is forcing difficult cuts in a system that serves 2.9 million Californians on more than 100 campuses. </p>
<p>Read more: [Community</a> colleges in line for federal largesse](<a href=“http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/08/MNU61NFE8C.DTL#ixzz1odf5qe8g]Community”>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/08/MNU61NFE8C.DTL#ixzz1odf5qe8g)</p>