“…when you are growing up, there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is the great equalizer.”
– Keith Richards
Why vote YES on Measure L?-–even though it means the dreaded ballot box budgeting, as the LA Times editorial board pointedout in their endorsement against the ballot measure. And even though it doesn’t specify what will be cut in its stead?
Because of what Keith said. The last line, in particular.
Our K-12 school budgets have been slashed. Adult education has been lacerated. Unemployment in LA County is still in double digits. Twenty percent of Californians said that there were times in the past year when they didn’t have enough money to buy their family enough food to eat.
But here’s the one thing this city cannot afford NOT to give its residents, even in these wallet-challenged times, and that is access to knowledge—on the page, online, on CD or DVD—all of which one can get at the public library.
Since the Los Angeles City Council couldn’t manage to preserve an adequate library budget, we must step in and do so.
Instead of protecting our libraries as sacrosanct, the council cut more than a quarter of the LA public library system’s budget forcing all of the city’s branches to close two days a week, shrinking the book acquisitions budget to $1.70 per capita, versus a national average of $4.20, and forcing a layoff of 28 percent of the LAPL staff.
Utterly shameful.
But most of you know all this already. So simply vote for it. If Measure L wins, it will be a very, very good thing for all of us.
(Hey, the writers are for it, and the writers are right.)
We can talk about other issues tomorrow. But for today, vote for Measure L.
NOTE: If you’re trying to figure out what to do about the Community College Board seats, this excellent LA Times article will be of help. There are no endorsements, and I’ve not been following the race closely enough to make any endorsements myself except to say that in my district, I will not be voting for the incumbent. With the huge amount of wasted $$ recently uncovered by the Times in relation to the community college building projects, and the money spent on the election by longtime board members Mona Field and Miguel Santiago and their slate—much of that money coming from contractors—for me, anyway, it’s time for new blood. I’ll be voting for Oswaldo Lopez or Derrick Mims, likely Mims.
Since, I’ve gotten a slew of emails about this race, I thought you’d like to know.
I wandered around the Central Library last Saturday admiring the colorful murals, stopping in Teen Scape to peer over the shoulders of teens working at computers, admiring each floor with the specialized stacks and finally purchasing small notebooks for my grandsons at the tiny book store. How sad the doors are closed Sunday and Monday. The library belongs to the community.
I do have one complaint,does every public building have to carry the name of a donor or public official? It’s the L.A. Central Library, it doesn’t belong to Richard Riordan.
Checking out a book at the Richard J. Riordan Central Library is no more ridiculous than having a picnic at the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area.
You’re right. Every public space honors a civic leader/philanthropist. But the library was there long before Riordan became mayor. Most noteworthy, the Edmund Edelman Children’s Court. As supervisor he tirelessly fought to improve the lives of children, especially those brought to dependency court.
I was vexed about the Riordan/downtown library thang too—even though he did a lot for the issue and all that. But I think in the end it doesn’t matter. We all just call it the downtown library, and so it shall remain in our hearts and address books. (No disrespect meant to Dick.)
But the library was there long before Riordan became mayor
Yes it was. As was the the Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX.
They name stuff after politicians. I’m not vexed about it. That’s what they do.