Spotlight on Measure L
The spending budget for the Los Angeles City library system currently totals around $75 million.
If Measure L passes, the spending budget would increase by about 70 percent - to around $125 million. The funding would be allocated from the City's current $4.5 billion estimated General Fund.
Hopeful supporters anxiously wait for results at the "Yes on Measure L" watch party. Natasha Ang, an organizer for the library guild, was laid off last year from her job as a library messenger clerk, but she has still been working to gain support for Measure L.
"We need our libraries. We want our libraries," said Ang. "If you have to make further cuts to the libraries, then you lock out thousands of kids from access to important services. And those kids are the ones who hold the future in their hands."
Proponents for Measure L believe the measure will provide an environment for children to study after school, for unemployed workers to apply for jobs online, and for convenient access to the Internet for those who can't afford it. They also say libraries will be able to offer more programs and restore services.
"We have something for everybody at the library. It's a place where the community can meet," said Raymond Blum, a clerk typist at the Robertson public library. "Where do people go where they can feel as much a part of the community as a library? I can't think of another place."
Julia Glassmim, a student at the UCLA library school, believes that the public library system has an important role in today's society.
"We're still in the information age, and it's really important that the public has access to that information," said Glassmin. "Libraries aren't just a place with books - they're where people can go to enter a portal of information."
Opponents of the measure vocalized concerned about where the money will be diverted from. The Los Angeles Police Protective League issued a statement that said:
"The league has gone on record to warn residents that they should expect to see further reductions in other areas of priority such as police and fire services, parks and recreation, and streets services. We aren't against libraries or their patrons. We're against end-runs that circumvent that proper budgeting process."
Critics of Measure L say how the money will be spent isn't guaranteed to go towards restoring discontinued services and programs at libraries. They also say almost $50 million of the City's General Fund should go toward police services that were cut during the recession instead of library programs.
Supporters of Measure L, however, insist that the money is much-needed, and it would make the library's funds just over two percent of the overall city budget.
"I hope this measure sends a message to the mayor and to the city council," said Ang. "Instead of attacking our educational institutions, they need to do everything in their power to preserve them."
