Casting Two Votes for Learning

On Tuesday, voters in Agoura Hills and across the Las Virgenes Unified School District have the opportunity to build a legacy of learning for their children and grandchildren. By voting yes on Measure E, Agoura Hills residents can support efforts to build a full-service library to replace a cramped facility built by Los Angeles County nearly 30 years ago. And with their support of Measure R, voters from Calabasas to Westlake Village can improve school facilities of which they are rightly proud.

Rather than wait for their tiny local branch to order hard-to-find books, many Agoura Hills residents just drive to Thousand Oaks and use that city’s bigger, more modern library. Clearly, that’s unacceptable. Schoolchildren should be able to research projects and check out books at a local library without having to hit the freeway. The $45 annual parcel tax called for by Measure E would be $10 cheaper per year than the cost of a Thousand Oaks library card for nonresidents. Plus, the tax would expire in five years. In the meantime, it could raise as much as $1.4 million toward the cost of a new library, which would be built on donated land.

Foes complain that Measure E is just another ploy to separate taxpayers from their money and point out that the tax would raise barely half of the $3 million it would cost to build a modern library. True, but that’s half more than the city currently has. And the money can be spent only on libraries. So if fund-raising efforts fall apart, the city can always improve the existing library on Roadside Drive. Critics do have a point, though, when they argue for strict accountability. Every dime of Measure E, which needs a two-thirds majority to pass, should be spent on hard assets like construction materials or books.

The same holds true for Measure R, a $93-million general obligation bond measure that promises to upgrade and replace school facilities in the district. Much of what draws residents to the Las Virgenes area is the school system, which is consistently praised by residents and observers. Keeping that reputation alive requires money to build classrooms to accommodate growth, to repair aging buildings and to reduce crowding. Homeowners would pay $29 per $100,000 of the assessed value of their home. The average: About $100 per year. Measure R requires a two-thirds majority. Two recent efforts have come within a fraction of that, but both failed in part because of low voter turnout.

Residents of Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village are all justifiably proud of their little cities. Part of that pride stems from the fact that the Las Virgenes area is a great place to raise a family--a place where kids can still play in the street. Strong schools and libraries are the cornerstones of a strong community and they should be supported. Vote yes on Measures E and R.