Meeting to address library issues
A Town Hall meeting will take place on Tuesday to begin the Malibu Library Assessment Project. Following the discovery last year that the city was paying more for its library services than it was receiving, the county agreed to hire a consultant to examine how Malibu’s money can be best used for library programs.
The consultant, Linda Demmers, will lead the meeting, where she will explain the process she will utilize, answer questions and receive public input. The meeting will be recorded and televised later. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at City Hall.
School district opposes governor
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education approved a resolution at its meeting Thursday that was signed by Superintendent John Deasy and the heads of the teachers’ and service employees’ unions in opposition to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2005-06 budget proposal. The resolution takes issue with the governor’s proposal to suspend Proposition 98, which sets through formulas a minimum amount of funding K-12 education must receive.
“Governor Schwarzenegger has broken his promise to California’s public schools and six million students after they already agreed to $2 billion in cuts with the Governor’s promise that more harmful cuts would be avoided in the future years,” the resolution reads.
The resolution suggests that if Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposal were approved as it is written now (which is highly unlikely), the SMMUSD would be forced to cut its budget by as much as $6 million.
Board President Emily Bloomfield said she took exception to Schwarzenegger grouping the education community with special interest groups during his State of the State Address earlier this month.
No sweat
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education has ordered district staff to take special care to ensure the SMMUSD is not associated with sweatshops. Board member Oscar de la Torre spearheaded the effort that led to a resolution unanimously approved by the board Thursday that instructed the district staff to review and revise its procurement policies to ensure that district contractors and subcontractors do not employ “exploitative child labor or sweatshop labor.”
The resolution further states that the district should be committed to developing “Sweat-free Schools” by ensuring that all apparel, sporting goods and other items used by the school not come from sweatshops.
City grants available
The city of Malibu is accepting applications for the annual General Fund Grant Program, which provides funding for nonprofit organizations located within Malibu that provide a benefit service to the residents of the community.
Applications will be accepted through March 31. Those organizations eligible for the program will be considered for funding by the City Council in the 2005-06 budget, which will be adopted in June.
To obtain an application, call Pamela Morgan at 456.2489 ext. 248 or visit the city’s Web site at www.ci.malibu.ca.us.
Father-Daughter Valentine Dance tickets on sale
Tickets for the Malibu Father-Daughter Valentine Dance are on sale now. The event takes place on Feb. 11 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Malibu Presbyterian Church. The dance is for fathers (or father-figures) and their school-age daughters. However, fathers and daughters of any age are welcome to attend. If you would like more information, call 456.1611 or visit the Web site, www.malibupres.org.