CC - Item 4O - LA County Public Library Requesting Support LettersE M F
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ROSEMEAD CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: OLIVER CHI, CITY MANAGER C
DATE: DECEMBER 11, 2007
SUBJECT: LOS ANGELES COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY REQUESTING LETTERS
OF SUPPORT
SUMMARY
The City received a letter from the County of Los Angeles Public Library asking the City
to support their letter writing campaign asking Governor Schwartzenegger to restore the
$14 million in public library funding in the 2008-2009 State budget that he cut from the
final FY 2007-2008 budget.
A sample letter is included for your review as Attachment A.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize staff to issue a letter of support for the
County Library's efforts to restore funding for library services in 2008 - 2009 State
budget.
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
This item has been noticed through the regular agenda notification process.
Prepared by:
Aileen Flores
Public Affairs Manager
Attachment: Letter from the Library
APPROVED FOR CITY COUNCIL AGENDA: D
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luunt,, of Lu5 AiigcIu , hi1)1i111>I.ii
7400 East Imperial Hwy., P.O. Box -i.i 11. Dove nt LA ~W ' i I i 1
(562) 940-8461, TELEFAX (562) 803-3032
MARGARET DONNELLAN TODD
COUNTY LIBRARIAN
November 9, 2007
p 0-'C3~ M2: IT
NOV I a 2007
Oliver Chi
City Manager
City of Rosemead
8838 East Valley Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770
Dear Mr. Chi:
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I would like you to be aware of a letter writing/phone campaign by the California Library
Association to ask Governor Schwarzenegger in his budget proposal for FY 2008-2009 to restore
the $14 million in public library funding that he cut from the final FY 2007-2008 budget. PLF and
TBR funding are the only State support received by public libraries. PLF funding is per capita
funding to enhance basic services such as purchasing books, adding open hours, increasing
children's programming, etc. TBR provides reimbursement to local jurisdictions for the borrowing
of library books and other materials by non-residents. The County of Los Angeles Public Library
uses TBR and PLF funds to purchase books and other non-print materials. This funding loss will
equal 29,000 new books. We were fortunate that this year the Board of Supervisors voted to use
one-time funding to buffer some of this loss, but next year that funding will not be available.
I would ask that as your City works with your lobbyists and state legislators, you include this in your
budget priorities. We know that it will be a difficult budget year, and I think it is important that local
public library service not experience additional reductions in State funding.
I have enclosed sample letters from the California Library Association. Also, you will note that we
are asking local legislators to sign on to Assemblyman Mike Eng's letter to the Governor.
Thank you for your assistance, and please have your staff contact me should you need any
additional information.
Sincerely,
Loa,
M4rg~retOonnellan Todd
County rarian
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Enclosures
Serving the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and the titles of: Agoura Hills ■ Artesia - Avalon - Baldwin Park - Bell -
Bell Gardens - Bellflower - Bradbury - Carson - Claremont • Compton a Cudahy - Culver City Diamond Bar - Duarte El Monte
- Gardena - Hawaiian Gardens • Hawthorne - Hermosa Beach - Hidden Hills - Huntington Park La Canada Flintridge La Habra
Heights Lakewood • La Mirada • Lancaster - La Puente • La Verne Lawndale Lomita Lynwood - Malibu Manhattan
Beach Maywood - Montebello Norwalk - Paramount Pico Rivera Rosemead San Dimas - San Fernando San Gabriel
-Santa Clarita - South El Monte South Gate Temple City Walnut • West Covina - West Hollywood - Westlake Village
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Sample Letter to Governor Schwarzenegger Addressing Cuts to PLF and TBR
[Date]
The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA. 95814
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
On behalf of the (insert: library name or county, or Board of Trustees, etc.) I would
like to respectfully express my disappointment with the recent $14 million reduction you
made to two heavily utilized and necessary library programs. Specifically, your 2007-08
Budget vetoes included a major $7 million cut to the Public Library Foundation (PLF) and
a $7 million cut to the Transaction Based Reimbursement (TBR).
The Public Library Foundation is a program that has been in existence since 1982, and
established a requirement that the state provide minimal assistance to local libraries on
the basis of a 10 percent state/ 90 percent local match. Full funding of the PLF, as
required by law, would total $94 million. Your recent cut to this important program, which
benefits every public library jurisdiction in California now brings the baseline for this
program down to $14 million. Last year, you increased this funding source by $7 million,
which we believed, was a sign that you were committed to the recovery of the PLF.
(Your predecessor, Governor Davis, reduced the PLF program by more than 70 percent
over a two year period.) The PLF money that is received by libraries is used to fund
reading programs, allow for the purchase of books and research materials, provide after-
school tutoring, and develop targeted services for our senior population. Due to your
recent cut to the PLF our library will be (insert: forced to eliminate the program,
unable to continue to keep our doors open on , unable to purchase [how
many] books and materials.)
Our second concern is your $7 million cut to the Transaction Based Reimbursement
program. The TBR was established so that libraries would be encouraged to
cooperatively, not competitively, share their existing resources. The TBR program
allows a patron to check out a book in a jurisdiction where they do not reside, without
having to pay a fee to do so ("Direct loan"). In addition, under this seamless lending
system, patrons can ask to have books or materials shipped to them from libraries
throughout the state ("Inter-library loan"). Cuts to the TBR mean that libraries do not
receive the necessary amount of appropriate reimbursement for their willingness to
participate in the state lending program.
Governor, you have indicated that 2008 will highlight your "Year of Education Reform,"
and it is important to note that the state's public libraries are a committed and
supplemental partner to K-12 and higher education learning. It is our hope, that as you
develop your 2008-09 January Budget, you give full consideration to the restoration of
the $14 million in combined reductions to the Public Library Foundation and Transaction
Based Reimbursement.
Thank you for your respectful consideration.
Sincerely,
[NAME]
[TITLE]
0 0
SAMPLE LETTER TO SEND TO LEGISLATOR RE: ASSEMBLYMAN ENG LETTER
[Date]
The Honorable [Name of State Senator or Assemblymember]
California State [Senate or Assembly]
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA. 95814
Dear [Assemblyman] [Senator]:
Thank you for your past support of California's public libraries. If you are not aware,
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, while signing the 2007-08 Budget, recently vetoed a
combined $14 million in critical library funding for the Public Library Foundation (PLF)
and the Transaction Based Reimbursement (TBR) program. These two popular library
programs are responsible for providing necessary funding to libraries for the purchase of
books, to continue and enhance literacy programs, to allow for the sharing of books and
materials between library jurisdictions, and to help keep library doors open for extended
hours.
The library community was extremely disappointed to learn of this 36% combined cut,
particularly when the Governor had included this very same $14 million augmentation in
his 2006-07 Budget. We believe the message is inconsistent to include increased
funding for these two programs in a Budget year and then remove an identical amount
the subsequent year. Under Governor Davis' Administration, the PLF was reduced more
than 70 percent in only two years time, and we were hopeful that Governor
Schwarzenegger would begin a pattern of recovery for the PLF, which benefits every
library iurisdiction in the state. Similarly, the TBR was close to being fully funded, and
instead, now runs the risk of endangering a matching federal fund component with this
new cut.
Sample Version 1 - letter to Governor attached, as well as request to sign-on to
Assy. Eng letter
[Attached is a copy of a letter that was recently sent to Governor Schwarzenegger
expressing our concern with the $14 million reduction to the PLF and TBR. We wanted
to make him aware that these cuts mean that (insert library) will have to (insert
examples here, such as "eliminate our Homework Help program which assists
school-age children after hours, our preschool readiness program, or not buy
books and periodicals this year, etc."). In addition, Assemblyman Eng is currently
circulating a letter that he will be sending to the Governor on this subject matter, and he
is looking for legislators to sign on to the letter in support. We would be grateful if you
would be willing to sign on to Assemblyman Eng's letter, which requests that the
Governor restore the $14 million to the PLF and TBR.]
Sample Version 2 - If you called the Governor's Office but did not send a letter to
the Governor; sign-on to Assy. Eng letter
[Recently, Assemblyman Mike Eng approached the California Library Association,
asking how he might be able to assist in this effort. Over the next few weeks
Assemblyman Eng will be circulating a letter that will be sent to the Governor, requesting
the Governor restore the $14 million to the PLF and TBR. He is currently looking for
legislators to sign on to his letter in support, and we would be grateful if you would
contact Mr. Eng's office and let them know you would like to sign on to the letter.]
Thank you for your consideration. Please let me know if I may answer any specific
questions regarding the PLF or TBR and how it is used locally.
Sincerely,
[Library Supporter]
[Title]
cc: Mike Dillon and Christina Dillon, Lobbyists, California Library Association