Sunday, June 11, 2006; Posted: 10:47 p.m. PDT

Nearly two-thirds of voters approved Measure C, a ballot item that allows the Foothill-De Anza district to issue $490 million of bonds Tuesday.

The district board of trustees held a meeting the next day to issue $300 million of bonds as soon as possible.

“Because of the urgency of some of the projects proposed under Measure C and the fact that there is currently a rising interest rate market, it is in the best interests of the District and the taxpayers to be prepared to issue these bonds as soon as possible,” the board found in its background analysis of the bonds.

The bond money will pay for the construction of a new mediated learning center, wireless Internet, the renovation and maintenance of existing buildings, new equipment, and the replacement of all district computers.

Other projects include purchasing new property, creating a transit center on campus, installing a new bike rack on campus, maintaining the Sunken Gardens, and expanding the planetarium.

The board of trustees found that the bond would cost homeowners an estimated $24 annually per $100,000 assessed value. The bond measure, which needed 55 percent of the vote to pass, passed with 65 percent of the vote.

Mariya Kisina contributed to this article.