75th Anniversary

At a special election held on December 14, 1948, the voters of Contra Costa County approved the formation of a junior college district by a vote of 6,062 to 5,288. Following the vote of the people, the Board of Supervisors officially declares the formation of the Contra Costa County Junior College District (CCCJCD) at their December 27, 1948, meeting. Thus began the 75-year history of the institution’s mission to serve high quality and affordable higher education in its community.

Thanks to the GI Bill and the influx of military and war workers who moved to California during World War II, the establishment of junior colleges offered the affordable higher education solution needed to successfully return to civilian life. The CCCJCD was one of 14 college districts formed between 1946 and 1950 and became the first countywide community college district in the state.

The first classrooms of the CCCJCD were set up at Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg in 1949, and later that year the first campus was established at the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, affectionately known as “Shipyard Tech.” The auspicious beginning eventually led to the construction of Contra Costa College in San Pablo. At the time, Contra Costa County’s population was 249,322 and was growing quickly, so in 1950 a second campus was established in Martinez, which eventually was relocated and became Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. As the county continued to grow eastward and southward, a third campus was built at the former Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg that eventually became Los Medanos College. Smaller academic centers were established in Brentwood in 2001, and in San Ramon in 2006, providing a higher education opportunity to anyone in the County within a 15-minute drive.

In November 1971, the CCCJCD was renamed the Contra Costa Community College District (4CD), and today it serves approximately 46,000 unduplicated students annually (2022-23). The diversity of the current students served is reflective of the changing demographics of the County, where a majority of the students are students of color. 4CD employs almost 3,600 full and part-time employees and is one of the largest employers in the County and a major contributor to the local economy.

• Home
• Press Release
• Welcome to 4CD’s 75th anniversary!
• Mojdeh Mehdizadeh - Coming Full Circle
• Bringing the World to 4CD
• Celebrating the Women of 4CD
• John Marquez’s 55+ Years of Building a Stronger 4CD
• 75th Anniversary Boards
• Sharing Memories - Contra Costa Community College District 1948–2008, a collection of stories edited by Bill Harlan