Santa Monica : Latino Group Gets Funding

The City Council has approved funding for the Latino Resource Organization, the Westside’s only social service group for Latinos, which has gone through major reorganization in the past year.

Last summer, city officials agreed to finance the organization for half a year until it could prove that it had taken steps to reestablish its programs and management.

In approving $61,535 for the remainder of the fiscal year, city officials lauded how swiftly the group had met city requirements. Over the last six months, the organization has assembled 10 board members and hired an executive director, while raising $21,235.

But city staff members were concerned that the organization was far from meeting the city’s requirement that it raise by June $68,908 or 25% of the amount the city provides. Staff members were also concerned that only 50% of those served under the group’s community-outreach programs lived in Santa Monica.

The organization was established in Santa Monica in 1983. It conducts after-school educational programs, a program that promotes family reading and community forums designed to look at issues in the Latino community.