Measure N’s passage could doom Glendale libraries, city manager says

Six of the city’s libraries could be shut down if a measure to repeal the utility users tax is approved by voters in June, according to the latest in a series of doom-and-gloom scenarios painted by the city’s top official.

In a presentation to the City Council Tuesday night, City Manager Scott Ochoa said the elimination of the tax and the potential $17.5-million reduction in the city’s General Fund could trigger widespread cuts and layoffs in the city’s Library Arts and Culture Department.

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He’s also outlined in recent months that the 9.5% annual cut to the general fund could gut Glendale’s police and fire departments of public-safety employees.

When it came to libraries, Ochoa laid out two scenarios: The first would require the closure of six branch libraries including the Casa Verdugo, Montrose and Chevy Chase branches. Nine full-time employees and nine full-time-equivalent hourly positions would be eliminated as well as programming for children and adults, free access to computers and Wi-Fi and access to meeting rooms, he said.

That would amount to $2 million in cuts to library funding.

Glendale’s Brand Library undergoing renovations and restoration in July 2013. In one scenario in the face of Measure N’s passage, as outlined by City Manager Scott Ochoa, the library would be closed, along with Casa Verdugo, Montrose and Chevy Chase branches, totalling about $3 million in cuts.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Only the Glendale Central Library in downtown and the Brand Library and Art Center would remain open.

In the second scenario, the Brand Library would be closed as well, eliminating an additional four full-time employees. That would total about $3 million in cuts.

Ochoa told council members that if Measure N passes, they would face some tough decisions.

“Which finger, which hand, which arm would you care to saw off if you absolutely had to?” he asked.

“When you take a look at how many cuts will have to be absorbed and the services that Glendale residents have become accustomed to, it makes an extraordinary difficult proposition to understand when you look at the scenarios,” he added.

More than 300,000 people from Glendale and from outside the city visit local libraries annually, Ochoa added.

The utility users tax has been in place since 1969 and is a 7% tax on gas, electricity and water bills.

Mayor Paula Devine said it’s worth it to residents to maintain the tax for how much they are getting in return. In this case, it’s having a resource in its library programs and skilled, multilingual staffers, she said.

“The fact is people have to take a really good look at what would be eliminated … For what we pay, it’s more than worth it,” Devine said.

Measure N qualified for the June 7 ballot after three Glendale residents successfully gathered enough signatures.

One of the petitioners, Bill Taliaferro, did not return phone calls for a comment. In the past, he’s told the News-Press in phone interviews that he’s critical of some of the salaries, pensions and benefits earned by top city officials and doesn’t want to continue paying a tax for those kinds of allocations.

In 2014, Ochoa was paid $306,434 in annual salary and benefits, according to Transparent California.

Glendale Water & Power General Manager Steve Zurn earned $310,573 in pay and benefits, and Police Chief Robert Castro received $330,614, according to Transparent California.

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian

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