Wearing shirts that said “I Love LA County Libraries,” more than 150 children, seniors, students, homemakers, parents and grandparents filled the Santa Clarita Council Chambers on August 24 to oppose a plan that would remove the city from the LA County library system.
Nearly 50 stayed until 11:15 PM as the City Council voted to put library services at risk.
The 4-1 vote would privatize library services with Maryland based LSSI, a for-profit company that has lost numerous contracts nationwide for failure to pay its bills on time. The council voted without answering critical questions including new fees for patrons or continuation of current funding sources.
“The Council’s decision was very disappointing but I hope that by continuing this fight we can retain quality services and good jobs in the Santa Clarita community,” said Elaine Braddock, LA County Librarian at Valencia Branch, one of three libraries that serves the community.
SEIU Local 721 members and the Santa Clarita Valley community will continue to be a driving force and keep this issue public.
What’s next for the Santa Clarita public library?
- The City has to complete all documentation for leaving the LA County library system by December 2010.
- LSSI would operate the SCV libraries beginning July 1, 2011.
- The mayor and city manager stated at the Aug. 24 meeting that all current employees would have the option of staying employed within the new library structure but this is not guaranteed.
Take Action!
- Call Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s office and tell him to support our LA County community libraries! 661-287-3657
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Download a petition and ask family and friends to sign it in support of quality services for our community. - Attend a North Region membership meeting for SEIU 721 members: Thursday, Sept. 2 at 6:00 p.m., 42231 6th St West, Ste 201 (Lancaster)
- Become a fan of Save Our Santa Clarita Libraries on Facebook and engage your family and friends on our fight to preserve quality services for our community.
Contact Sergio Barahona at 323-308-8805 and Ryn Schneider at 213-280-7707 for more information.
I was at the City Council meeting on August 24, 2010, and am outraged at the high-handed cavalier attitude of the Mayor and 3 Council members who voted to take over the three local county libraries. Very few people were aware of this issue until a few weeks ago. People I talked to were not aware of it on August 24, and they were very angry when they did hear about it. This meeting was the only public “hearing” and was immediately followed by the Mayor and City Council taking their vote, totally ignoring over three hours of questions and opposition from Santa Clarita library users. I am eager to be part of any action, legal or political, that will be taken to slow down this process or stop it entirely. I hope we all remember August 24 in future city elections!