Funding for County Libraries

I am writing to thank you for your recent coverage in articles and editorials of the plight of the County of Los Angeles Public Library, and of our plan to restore library services by establishing a community facilities district (CFD), a financing mechanism authorized under the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act of 1982. Yes, the Mello-Roos act does have segments which use a tax to enable infrastructure improvement. However, the library is using another segment of the act which specifically uses benefit charges, not taxes, to finance a service. While the charges, if implemented, will appear on each tax bill received for property within the area served by the County Public Library, they would appear on a separate line apart from the tax calculations because, as dedicated charges, they are not tied to the property’s assessed valuation.

I cannot think of a better value for the $28.50, which would be the charge for an entire year of library service. A family could not begin to purchase equivalent books with this dollar amount to help their child with homework. Libraries are about collaborative use. Now, with the state shift of half of our County Library’s primary source of income--the property tax--we all must collaborate if we want to assure that this valuable community institution survives. Like any other business, libraries cannot operate without adequate funds. The 3.3 million people served by the County of Los Angeles Public Library need information access.

The community facilities district provides the single option to restore the $30 million in annual financing lost by the County Library this year. Absent this revenue, there will be no option but to close libraries and reduce services further.

We are currently working with the 52 cities we serve to obtain their councils’ consent to participate in the CFD. The revenue collected from the CFD will go only to the County Library, and will go to the library serving the residents from whom the levy was collected. We have a chance to improve library service. Let us use it!

SANDRA F. REUBEN

Los Angeles County Librarian