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Salinas Mayor Launches Campaign to Keep Libraries OpenTwo months before all three Salinas (Calif.) Public Library branches were scheduled to close their doors, Mayor Anna Caballero has outlined a plan to keep them open on a limited basis, the Salinas Californian reported February 4. During a press conference held February 3 at the National Steinbeck Center in downtown Salinas, Caballero announced the formation of a blue-ribbon committee that will attempt to raise $500,000 by June 30, the last day of the fiscal year.“We are here at this location to launch an effort to save our city, to save our libraries, and to save our pride,” she said. Calling the campaign “Rally Salinas,” Caballero asked residents to donate whatever they can to a bank account set up at the Community Foundation for Monterey County. If the goal is reached, the funds will be turned over to the city to keep the three branches open at least one day a week from July to December. “The only purpose for which this money is being raised is to keep the libraries open,” Caballero emphasized. Caballero said that an anonymous rancher had already pledged $25,000 and promised to contribute another $75,000 in matching funds. The Californian reported that the mayor has also met with several businesses that expressed an interest in donations, among them CTB/McGraw-Hill, Mann Packing Company, and Scheid Vineyards. The three branches were scheduled to close one by one between March 12 and April 16, but Caballero said that city council will consider rescinding its decision to close them at its next meeting February 15. The new committee, which Caballero chairs, will also work on an emergency tax measure that could keep the libraries open permanently. Residents rejected two tax measures in November 2004 that would have raised enough money to prevent the closures. Reaction among the library’s employees was mixed. “That’s not a solution,” Senior Library Technician Sylvia Garcia said in the February 4 Monterey County Herald. “That’s a small Band-Aid. There’s still no accountability for mismanagement of funds.” Jan Neal, administrative manager at the John Steinbeck branch, told the Californian, “I’m glad we’re not giving up. We still have time to do something.” The campaign is accepting tax-deductible donations at Rally Salinas, P.O. Box 93902, Salinas, CA 93902. Posted February 4, 2005; revised February 10, 2005. |
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