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 can be lacking.
And it’s the youngsters 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 schooling.
“You don’t have paperwork to point out the place that cash was spent.”
“The place’s the cash?”
State officers created a nonprofit and allowed the brand new group’s government director — who additionally ran a Sacramento consulting agency — to pay that agency at the least $208,652, in accordance with committee information.
In 2022, Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield who has additionally referred to as for stricter controls on prison diversion applications, authored laws with then-Democratic Senate President Professional Tem Toni Atkins to launch a statewide model of this system by means of the California State Library.
Gov. Gavin Newsom later signed the invoice into legislation, approving $68.2 million in state funding to cowl half the price of books by means of 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 means of June 30, 2028.
However this system stalled for almost two years after funding was accredited.
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 referred to as the Sturdy 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, in accordance with legislative paperwork.
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Monetary information reviewed by Senate employees present that about $4 million of these funds have been moved right into a cash market account that generated roughly $132,000 in curiosity.
The nonprofit reported about $1.2 million in complete 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’ll be able to’t present that even the cash that was allotted for $5,000 … the place any assets have been used to achieve the youngsters that wish to foster a love for studying,” Grove stated throughout Thursday’s listening to.
“That is unnecessary and that reeks of horrific no transparency and potential fraud.”
Legislative employees stated they requested further 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 advised Grove. “We’ve requested them over and over.”
He added, “So now we have now a deadline of every week, and we’ll get them to you by then.”
The Sturdy Reader Partnership nonprofit was shuttered in September, in accordance with Politico.
State officers stated roughly $36.9 million in unspent funds have 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 among 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 further solutions and monetary information lawmakers say they’ve been requesting for months.
