Meeting: May 12, 2026
16 ITEM BY COUNCILMEMBER DAN HALL
Request of Councilmember Hall that Council approve use of up to $5,000 of discretionary funds to support the Santa Monica Public Library’s LEGO Club programming.
The Santa Monica Public Library plays a central role in supporting the educational, creative, and social development of children and families across our community. Each Library branch maintains buckets of LEGO bricks available for free play by kids from 18 months to 11 years old, and Library staff have, since restarting LEGO Club programming in August 2024, held the program approximately once a month. To date, those efforts have totaled 16 programs and 794 attendees.
Library Youth Services staff have outlined a range of potential expansions for this programming as new branch staff complete their initial training, including a series of guided programs with a LEGO Master Builder who could work with kids on more intricate, specific designs; the purchase of a display case to temporarily showcase participants’ work; the commissioning of a LEGO sculpture for the children’s area; multiple LEGO kits dedicated to in-program use; “Take and Make” at-home kits for kids who can’t attend in person; and additional books and materials in the Library’s collection focused on LEGO building. Programs of this kind enhance youth creative problem solving, building, and design skills, and the Library provides an environment where kids and families can connect, build, and play together.
Council has historically supported Library programming as a core component of the City’s investment in youth, education, and equitable access to enrichment opportunities. A modest discretionary contribution at this stage is intended to give the Library flexibility to deepen and expand LEGO programming in whatever form Library staff judge most useful.
In order to support the Library’s continued investment in youth programming and the creative, educational, and community-building role it plays in Santa Monica, I THEREFORE MOVE THAT THE COUNCIL:
1. Allocate up to $5,000 from Councilmember Hall’s share of Council discretionary funds to the Santa Monica Public Library in support of LEGO programming, with the specific use of the funds to be determined by Library staff. # # #