Chula Vista's in a bind over donated books | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Chula Vista's in a bind over donated books | The San Diego Union-Tribune: "Chula Vista's in a bind over donated books

By Shannon McMahon
STAFF WRITER

April 13, 2006

CHULA VISTA – In an effort to unload roughly 70,000 books from a 2004 book drive, the city will open its warehouse Tuesday to nonprofit groups, teachers and bookworms looking to fill their shelves, Mayor Steve Padilla said.

The story behind Chula Vista's book drive merits its own book.

Padilla launched a citywide “give a book” program in December 2004. The goal was to collect books from elementary school students and donate them to local shelters for abused and needy children.

The drive lasted four weeks and was expected to bring in 1,000 to 5,000 books. The city rewarded participating classes with pizza parties and ice-cream cups. Top-performing classes were thrown parties that featured firetrucks and police cars with sirens blaring, and appearances by Padilla and San Diego Chargers Roman Oben and Ben Leber.

To the surprise and chagrin of the mayor's staff, the drive raised more than 100,000 novels, textbooks, plays, magazines and coloring books. The city struggled to donate books to local hospitals, shelters and even Hurricane Katrina victims, but a majority of the books have sat untouched in a Public Works Department warehouse since 2004."