Wilson Vetoes Grant for Community Center

Community leaders said Tuesday they were surprised that a $400,000 grant request that would have helped make up a funding shortfall for the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center was vetoed Monday by Gov. Pete Wilson.

“It was extremely disappointing to all of us who have worked so hard on this community center,” Agoura Hills Mayor Fran Pavley said.

Introduced by Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), the grant was one of 11 such requests to be taken out of the final budget, said H.D. Palmer, assistant director for the state Department of Finance.

Others rejected throughout the state included those for museums, park acquisitions and a teen center, he said.

“There was no explanation; it just wasn’t there anymore,” said Robin Podolsky, Kuehl’s press deputy.

Although Wilson did not specify exactly why the project was rejected, he did mention it along with the other requests in his veto message, Palmer said.

“While I am supportive of the efforts [like these], these projects are not of sufficiently high priority to justify the use of limited resources,” Wilson wrote.

The cities of Agoura Hills and Calabasas have already committed to spending $3.8 million collectively to fund the nearly $5-million project, and a community fund-raising group was formed to help bridge the gap.

But now, the Community Center Alliance may have to double its fund-raising goal or the project may have to be redrawn to cut costs, Pavley said.

“This will not kill the project,” she said. “We’re just not sure what to do now. The possibility that [Wilson] could reconsider that particular item and include it in the budget would be very well received in this community.”

Podolsky said that Kuehl has written a letter to Wilson, asking him to reconsider the project.