The Los Angeles Community College District has approved more than $400 million in construction, design and technology contracts to upgrade its nine campuses in projects that accelerate the district's green building program.

The contracts recently approved by the trustees are also expected to create some 6,000 jobs in Southern California and give a major boost to the region's economy.

The three largest projects amount to some $178 milion and have strong energy generation and savings elements. They involve plans for the $80 million Allied Health and Wellness Center at West LA College; classroom, lab and parking facilities amounting to $70 million for the East Campus of Mission College; and $28 million in parking structure projects at Harbor College that include solar arrays and smart parking technology.

Financing for all the projects comes from the more than $5.7 in bond funding the district has to renovate, upgrade and modernize its nine campuses.

The district, whose new buildings are to be constructed to LEED standards, is overseeing one of the larger public sector green building initiatives in the country.