Friends of the Library

Announced the Friends of the Library MOU and $825,000 donation awaiting council action, and drew on her Allied Arts Board experience to urge caution on the proposed Art Center Committee.

Said the $825,000 donation MOU has sat with the mayor and city manager for eight weeks and asked the council to work with the Friends.

Detailed the Friends' $4.8 million in past contributions and asked why the council is refusing the $825,000, suggesting political retaliation.

A 62-year resident explained how the Friends' donations buy library-bound books and rebutted Facebook claims that donated books are resold for profit.

Offered a rapid-fire list of what $825,000 could buy instead — FPPC and Brown Act training books, air show money, lawsuit costs — and asked the council to just accept the check.

Detailed the Friends' $825,000 offer with three conditions (no censorship, continued book sales, meeting room use) and asked why the city hasn't accepted it.

Again asked the council to accept the $825,000 Friends gift, noting the revised agreement addressed city requests and has sat unanswered for a month.

The Friends of the Library president offered $825,000 over three years for library materials — if the city doesn't censor books and lets the group keep its space — and asked the city to accept the deal.

Asked why the council and Friends of the Library can't agree on a donation/MOU arrangement, urging compromise over the council's 'business' framing of library use.