Opponents of the new Brentwood library, including [Gloria Molina], said they do not object to private financing of public projects, and they praised Kaufman's generosity. Brentwood, however, should wait its turn for city money, they said.

Library officials, however, predict that the city's allocation for the Brentwood library will not affect funding for other branches. It could be years before the city actually pays the $350,500, they said, because Friends of the Brentwood Library still needs to raise $500,000 of the $750,000 it is contributing toward the project. Moreover, because it was a special expenditure, the money would come from the city's general fund-not from the Library Department's capital improvements budget.

PHOTO: Donor Glorya Kaufman, right, and [Mickey Bodek], former library commissioner, visit the Brentwood branch, which will be rebuilt. Some think other libraries in the area, like the Cypress Park branch, below, more urgently need work. / BILL MURPHY / Los Angeles Times