WESTLAKE VILLAGE : Library Plan Wins State Senate Vote

A bill allowing Westlake Village to quit the Los Angeles County Library system and keep its share of local property taxes set aside for libraries was approved in a 25-4 vote Thursday by the state Senate.

Westlake Village officials are seeking to recover an estimated $328,000 in taxes that each year goes to the county library fund. The money is used to build and operate libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

Westlake Village officials, however, want to be allowed to keep the money and eventually build a library in town. Residents complain they must travel to libraries in either Thousand Oaks or Las Virgenes.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita), is opposed by county officials who argue that the legislation will encourage other cities to withdraw from the library system, drying up needed funds. The bill will next be considered by the Assembly.