Board Considers Putting Library Tax on Ballot
The city’s Library Board of Trustees is considering placing a special tax to fund better library services on a ballot next year, board President Joseph Rubin said Friday.
“We are considering a tax similar to Pasadena and South Pasadena’s to ensure adequate funding for the library,” Rubin said. In recent years, voters in Pasadena, South Pasadena and Altadena have supported similar library taxes by margins of more than 2 to 1.
Rubin said the money would allow the library to extend its daily hours, remain open seven days a week and allow for some expansion of the building.
The proposal will be formally discussed at the board’s Nov. 3 meeting. Rubin said the idea has met with a positive response from library trustees and boosters, and he is hopeful the City Council will approve putting the issue before the city’s voters in April.
The measure would require two-thirds of the vote to pass.
Library Director Linda Wilson said the building is so crowded on most afternoons that many visitors can’t find a place to sit.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
