Huntington Beach looking at privatizing library operations despite widespread opposition

Huntington Beach City Council is moving forward with getting proposals for privatizing the city’s libraries, which would allow an outside company to run its branches, despite public outcry from residents and librarians worried about their jobs.

A divided City Council directed city staff Tuesday night, March 19, to solicit bids from contractors to run the Huntington Beach Public Libraries. Interim City Manager Eric Parra, who is also the police chief, placed the item on the council’s agenda, saying it could help the city save money.

“I don’t know what the terms of an outsourcing contract might be, but I do know that outsourced libraries are widely known for being a revolving door of workers,” said Senior Youth Services Librarian Laura Jenkins. “Gone will be the days of the family librarian who grows with families as their children age. That to me is the biggest tragedy that will come with possible outsourcing.”

The privatization effort is the latest battle between Huntington Beach’s conservative leadership and residents opposing changes to city libraries. Huntington Beach Public Libraries in February began moving books containing sexual content away from the children’s section shelves based on a controversial city policy adopted last year that was championed by Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark.

The vote Tuesday night was 4-3, with the council’s majority approving the proposal. The vote allows city staff to start taking proposals from private companies wishing to run the libraries.

Maryland-based Library Systems & Services, a private company that manages other libraries throughout the country, earlier this year approached the city to operate Huntington Beach’s system “at a substantial annual cost savings for the city,” according to the staff’s report to councilmembers. That prompted the city to consider taking bids on privatizing the library’s operations, but opponents say Library Systems & Services has no competitors and would likely win the bid.

Library Systems & Services told the city that it could save Huntington Beach a $1 million a year running the city libraries, according to city staff.

Councilmembers who voted for the item said it doesn’t obligate the city to do anything at this point but take bids.

“I think it’s our duty to look at those kinds of savings,” Councilmember Pat Burns said. “I think it would be negligent if we didn’t.”

The Huntington Beach Public Library system has five branches. The city, if it does outsource operations, would maintain ownership of the library system and its materials.

The library privatization talks drew objection from several city employees who showed up during public comment to protest the idea. City librarians expressed worries about their jobs and the library’s future ability to best serve the public.

Kari Johnson, a librarian who received a mayor’s excellence award last year, pleaded to the council through tears to not move forward with privatization and asked for them to find other ways to bolster the city’s budget.

“We have been pushed and prodded this year, now this item … is too much,” Johnson said.

Aaron Herrera, who works at the Oak View Library Branch, said privatization would lead to cutbacks in library programming, collections and hours of operation.

“We have a uniquely American institution,” Herrera said. “A great pearl you are going to cast before the swine of privatization.”

Literary program specialist Akemi Royer told the council that a privatized city library wouldn’t qualify for full grant funding of about $95,000 for adult literacy initiatives.

Carlos Rubio, president of Teamsters Local 911, which represents rank-and-file city library employees, said Friday that librarians’ mental health has suffered with all the unknowns as of late.

“We have over 20 librarians since last June who have been on their tippy toes not knowing what their future holds,” Rubio said.

Burns said he didn’t “see any harm going out and getting a few bids and seeing what they have to offer.

“From what I understand,” he said, “they are going to keep our employees.”

Former Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law in 2011 that prevents cities privatizing library operations from agreeing to contracts that would cause library employees to lose their jobs, wages, benefits or hours.

Councilmember Dan Kalmick criticized how little information city staff released on the proposal and said librarians might jump ship and become employees for the city of Irvine, which is planning to open a library, to keep having pensions. Employees that leave would be supplanted by lower-earning replacements under a privatized library, Kalmick said.

The Orange County Employees Association, a union that represents the principle and senior librarian positions, sent a letter to the council calling the library privatization proposal shocking.

“Dedicated and experienced city workers learned their jobs are potentially being outsourced through rumor, social media, and in the news,” Charlies Barfield, the Orange County Employees’ Association general manager wrote in the letter. “This type of negative coverage will seriously damage the city’s ability to recruit and retain quality public servants.”

Nonprofits Pen America, EveryLibrary and Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library all issued statements opposing privatization.

Patricia Schuman, a retired librarian who was the former president of the American Library Association, said once libraries are privatized and start cutting budgets they start losing their ideals.

“Service to the public has been a major ideal,” Schuman said. “Libraries are basic guardians of the right to know and intellectual freedom, and once they become privatized you lose that.”

Schuman said paying staff and buying books are the biggest parts of a library’s budget.

Other communities in California have made the move to use Library Systems & Services. Riverside County in 1997 was the first in the nation to have its libraries run by a private company. In the years since, the cities of Simi Valley, Escondido and Palmdale have done so as well.

Library Systems & Services, which could not be reached for comment, on its website states it keeps existing staff once it takes over operations and public access would remain.

Councilmember Rhonda Bolton was suspicious of a private company being able to provide the same level of service while saving the city money.

“There are just some things,” she said, “that don’t work well when they get contracted out.”

Source: Orange County Register