LOMITA : Council Donates $6,337 to Keep Library Open

The City Council gave the Friends of the Lomita Library $6,337 to help keep the Lomita branch of the Los Angeles County Library system open through September. The donation was the largest single donation from any of the 52 cities that the county library serves, said its head librarian Sandra F. Reuben.

The previous largest donation was just over $2,000 from Lakewood, Reuben said.

The money was raised last month from the Jim Thorpe 5K Run/Walk, an event sponsored by more than 60 local businesses and residents, said Mayor Ben Traina. “$6,000 won’t keep it open for a year but it certainly will help,” Traina said.

Although the money could have been earmarked for specific uses at the Lomita branch, the money was donated to the “County Libraries Are Worth It” campaign to benefit the whole library system, said Ruth Herbert, president of the Friends of Lomita Library.

The grass-roots campaign was started in April as part of National Libraries Week and has taken in nearly $90,000 so far, Reuben said.

The Lomita branch is one of about 50 branch libraries that was facing possible closure after state budget cuts left the library system with a $10-million deficit. The system lost a total of $30 million as a result of the cuts, Reuben said.