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Oakland and Modesto Tax Measures Pass; Others in California FailResidents of Oakland, California, voted March 2 to restore funds to the city library system by increasing a $36 parcel tax to $75 per year. The increase was needed to keep the Oakland Public Library main branch open seven days a week, expand branch hours to six days a week, and restore and increase the library’s materials budget. In June 2003, the Oakland Public Library was threatened with the closure of as many as seven of its 15 branch libraries as part of a budget plan issued by Mayor Jerry Brown to bridge the city’s $46.5-million budget gap. It weathered that storm, but the library did lose 22 FTE positions, reduced weekend hours at many branches, and suffered a 35% reduction of its materials budget. The tax increase is expected to raise about $9–10 million annually through 2024, the Oakland Tribune reported March 3. Voters in Stanislaus County approved an eight-year extension to a one-eighth-cent sales tax that provides 75% of the county library’s budget. The extension will allow the main branch in Modesto to stay open seven days a week and allow literacy programs and story times to continue at all 12 branches, according to the March 4 Modesto Bee. Libraries were less fortunate in two other counties. The March 3 Los Angeles Daily News reported that all 10 tax measures that appeared on city ballots in Los Angeles County failed to draw a necessary two-thirds majority, including one in San Fernando that would have raised $124,000 annually for library materials and maintenance. According to the March 3 San Jose Mercury News, libraries in Santa Clara County will be forced to reduce hours and cut services after voters failed to approve an extension of a 10-year-old library bond. Posted March 5, 2004. |
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