Supervisors Hear Plea to Spare Libraries
Ventura County library supporters pleaded with supervisors Tuesday to spare the ailing 16-branch system from further budget cuts and keep seven small branches from closing.
El Rio resident Lupe Badiggo told the board that her neighborhood library has served as a safe refuge for her and her two children, a place where they can go for recreational and educational purposes.
“If you close the El Rio Library, there will be nothing positive there for the kids. Nothing,” she said. “Please don’t cut the libraries.”
Members of the Westside Community Council also presented the board with a check for $500 from a recent dance fund-raiser for the Ventura Avenue Library.
Faced with a mounting budget deficit, county officials said they will probably be able to muster only about half of the $1.6 million needed to keep all of the county’s 16 libraries open this year. Among the branches targeted for closure are: El Rio, Avenue, Oak Park, Saticoy, Oak View, Piru and Meiners Oaks.
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