Liu named ‘Legislator of the Year’

The California Library Association has named State Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) its 2011 Legislator of the Year.

The organization represents public, academic and specialty libraries across the state.

Liu was recognized for her leadership in helping to preserve public library funding in this year’s state budget, said Pasadena Public Library Director Jan Sanders.

“As the chairwoman of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, and as a member of the Senate Budget Committee, she fully understood the ‘real world’ impacts of the devastating cuts that were being proposed for three major library programs,” Sanders said in a statement.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget in January proposed elimination of $30.5 million in state funding for libraries by doing away with the California Library Services Act, the California Library Literacy Service and the Public Library Foundation.

The 2011-12 budget that was signed by Brown in June reflected a 50% cut to public library funding, instead of complete elimination.

-- Mark Kellam, Times Community News

Twitter: @LAMarkKellam

Photo: State Sen. Carol Liu visits Ability First in Pasadena on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Credit: Cheryl A. Guerrero/Staff Photographer.