California legislators have grilled the state’s high librarian about enormous sums of cash tied to a statewide literacy program linked to nation music legend Dolly Parton which are lacking.
And it’s the children who could endure.
Greg Lucas, the state’s high librarian, has been accused of failing to account for nearly $650,000 associated to Dolly Parton’s Creativeness Library throughout, a literacy initiative meant to ship free books to younger kids throughout the state.
“You don’t have receipts requested six occasions. You don’t have financial institution statements requested six occasions from this committee,” Republican State Sen. Shannon Grove stated throughout a funds listening to on training.
“You don’t have paperwork to indicate the place that cash was spent.”
“The place’s the cash?”
State officers created a nonprofit and allowed the brand new group’s govt director — who additionally ran a Sacramento consulting agency — to pay that agency at the very least $208,652, based on committee information.
In 2022, Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield who has additionally known as for stricter controls on felony diversion applications, authored laws with then-Democratic Senate President Professional Tem Toni Atkins to launch a statewide model of this system by the California State Library.
Gov. Gavin Newsom later signed the invoice into regulation, approving $68.2 million in state funding to cowl half the price of books by a dollar-for-dollar match with native companions. Lawmakers allowed as much as 10% — about $6.8 million — for administrative prices and set a aim of enrolling roughly 65% of eligible California kids inside 5 years. The funds stay accessible by June 30, 2028.
However this system stalled for practically two years after funding was authorized.
As a substitute of sending cash on to the nationwide program, the California State Library entered right into a $19.2 million contract in August 2024 with a nonprofit known as the Robust Reader Partnership. Company filings listed a deputy state librarian because the nonprofit’s agent for service of course of and used addresses related to the State Library.
The nonprofit acquired $4.8 million from the state, based on legislative paperwork.
Obtain The California Submit App, comply with us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Submit Information: Fb, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Submit Sports activities Fb, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Submit Opinion
California Submit Newsletters: Enroll right here!
California Submit App: Obtain right here!
House supply: Enroll right here!
Web page Six Hollywood: Enroll right here!
Monetary information reviewed by Senate workers present that about $4 million of these funds had been moved right into a cash market account that generated roughly $132,000 in curiosity.
The nonprofit reported about $1.2 million in whole spending, however financial institution statements solely documented roughly $555,871 in bills, leaving about $649,000 that lawmakers say has not been absolutely backed up with receipts or invoices.
“You possibly can’t present that even the cash that was allotted for $5,000 … the place any assets had been used to succeed in the children that need to foster a love for studying,” Grove stated throughout Thursday’s listening to.
“That is not sensible and that reeks of horrific no transparency and potential fraud.”
Legislative workers stated they requested extra documentation from the State Library six occasions between November 2025 and February 2026 however had not acquired the information as of late February.
Lucas, California’s state librarian since 2014, defended the company’s actions through the listening to.
“As I’ve stated earlier than, and I’ll say it once more, we’ve pledged to get you the solutions that you really want,” Lucas informed Grove. “We’ve requested them over and over.”
He added, “So now we’ve a deadline of per week, and we’ll get them to you by then.”
The Robust Reader Partnership nonprofit was shuttered in September, based on Politico.
State officers stated roughly $36.9 million in unspent funds had been returned to the state in December 2025, together with about $3.86 million recovered from the nonprofit.
Nonetheless, lawmakers say main questions stay about how a few of the nonprofit’s cash was spent — and why the State Library created and funded the group within the first place.
Lucas is anticipated to return to the Legislature subsequent week with extra solutions and monetary information lawmakers say they’ve been requesting for months.
