Will Pasadenans Tax Themselves for Books? : Libraries: To keep its system open, the city proposes an annual household levy of about $20, which needs a two-thirds ‘yes’ vote.

Citizen-action groups and politicians all over California will be watching closely on Tuesday when the voters of Pasadena decide whether to impose a special city tax to keep the doors of their library open. As mandated by Proposition 13, the measure must pass by a two-thirds majority. Political experts say that is virtually impossible.

Win or lose, Pasadena is the first city in California to fight back against the statewide slashing of library funds, which has escalated under the Wilson Administration. In the Los Angeles County system alone, nine libraries closed last year and another 11 are scheduled to close by the end of this year; others will have operating hours curtailed. If the Pasadena measure fails, the city says that the Central Library will be reduced to less than 50% of normal service hours and that all eight branches, which serve as both school and community libraries, will be closed on Jan. 1.

The troubles began for Pasadena, as for many California communities, in late 1989 when the economic bubble burst. Library budget cuts have increased every year since. This March, there was talk of branch closures. When the topic hit the City Council agenda, angry citizens mobbed the council chambers.

The proposal now before voters would require the council to set aside 82% of the annual library budget, or $5.8 million, from the general fund. The remainder of the library funds, $1.3 million, would be raised by a special tax of about $20 per household.

“Sure, this is a tax issue,” says Pasadena resident Maria Anderson. “But, for me, it is primarily a quality-of-life issue. My daughter’s school is serviced by our local branch library. If that branch closes, our school has no library. What kind of a school would that be? What kind of education could my daughter get without a library?”

Opponents of the measure, led by a local political group called the Roundtable, admit that the library is a vital part of Pasadena life and that it is run efficiently, even frugally. They simply don’t want any new taxes. They say that City Hall should be forced to find the library money elsewhere in the shrinking city budget. Cut the fat and skip the tax.

Ordinarily, that is a powerful political slogan. But Pasadena is no ordinary town. The library is a treasured institution, a cornerstone of civic pride. According to Save Pasadena’s Libraries, a citizen-action committee, 71% of Pasadenans polled back the special tax. But even such strong support leaves only a small margin for victory, when you need a two-thirds majority at the ballot box.

“When the taxpayers of California passed Proposition 13, they didn’t vote to close libraries,” says Pasadena author Sidney Kirkpatrick. “They voted to stop the out-of-control spending, bloated bureaucracy and corruption in Sacramento. We were cheated. We’re mad as hell and we’re doing something about it!”

If Pasadena can overcome its fear of the “T” word, it may become a model for other communities that are trying to save their libraries. The tab is not so high: a nickel a day per household. And voters are discovering that there are worse things than paying taxes--such as not having access to information in the Information Age.