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California Voters Reject Library Construction MeasureProposition 81, which would have allowed California to borrow $600 million in bonds for public library construction and renovation to accommodate the state’s increased population, only won 47% of the vote in the June 6 election, the San Francisco Chronicle reported June 8. The measure, reportedly the largest library construction bond proposition in state history, was placed on the ballot after a 2004 compromise by the legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to replenish the Library Bond Act of 2000, which provided $350 million for 45 library projects.“Preliminary polling showed it was not a slam dunk,” State Librarian Susan Hildreth told the Chronicle. “It is disappointing but not totally unexpected. We will now have to look at local options.” In San Francisco, where 66% of voters approved the measure, public library officials had hoped to fund four new branches. “We don’t have a fix for it right now,” said San Francisco Public Library Director Luis Herrera. “We will just have to regroup and determine the next course of action.” Although there was no active campaign against the measure, voters seemed reluctant to have the state take on additional debt. “I am opposed to this type of mindless spending,” Palo Alto resident Wayne Martin told the Chronicle. “The internet has changed the world, and libraries are far less valuable today than in the past.” Proposition 81 Campaign Manager Phil Giarrizzo said in the June 8 San Jose Mercury News that a weak economy, the focus on the governor’s race, and multimillion-dollar bond measures on flood protection and transportation coming up in November led to its defeat. “While libraries rank high, when you’re debating costs and need for flood control, highways, and other kinds of vital services, it’s a question of how much can people absorb in additional cost,” he added. “It’s a sad day for the library community and library users in general,” San Bruno Public Library Services Director Terry Jackson said. San Bruno was also counting on state funding and had already hired an architect in March to draw up plans for a $20–$25 million new facility, according to the June 8 San Mateo Daily Journal. Moreno Valley’s only library was closed last fall after mold was discovered under the carpet, and officials felt it would be too expensive to renovate a building that residents had outgrown. “We had hoped to compete for nearly $13 million,” MVPL Director Cynthia Pirtle said in the June 8 Riverside Press-Enterprise. “It’s a big disappointment that we’re not going to be able to do that.” Posted June 9, 2006. |
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