In order to analyze the California system of community college finance within a national context, a review of recent literature was followed by an intensive study and survey of eight states, chosen to illustrate alternative solutions to California financing problems. National trends among community colleges that emerged included (1) the development of distinct purposes and identities; (2) funding mechanisms which increasingly resemble those of four-year institutions; (3) legally distinct governance and funding; (4) budget review procedures with line-item appropriations; (5) an increasing state share of support with decreasing local support; and (6) the development of the "community college" concept with a wide variety of programs, courses, and activities. Levels of support for students, the arguments and consequences of state/local funding, the variety of finance mechanisms, finance formulas related to affirmative action, and the issues of educational equity and tuition and fees were also explored. Two major conclusions were drawn: before adopting any finance system a state must (1) decide the basic issues of mission, breadth of offering, and student body composition, and (2) recognize the great force among two-year colleges of tradition and local circumstances. The survey questionnaire and details of the Florida cost-analysis model are appended. (RT)