AB 583 (Gomez) Model Support Letter - Everylibrary.org

'EVERYLIBRARY' is lobbying to close a loophole in state law relating to the privatisation of public library services in California stemming from the AB438 Bill that was passed last year.

see below the model letter they are asking organisation and individuals to sign

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MMyTxYuKzLzTheJ4OHJJZvL0-LTTQJVNdfiYI_ECH_0/edit?usp=sharing

"Basically, you just need to ask the Assembly Member to support AB 583 and close the loopholes that allow cities to privatize their libraries without transparency and public involvement."

for more on AB438 see my previous posts on the subject;
http://dontprivatiselibraries.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/AB438%20Bill

and for AB583 see;
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_0551-0600/ab_583_bill_20130220_introduced.html

"Would provide, until January 1, 2019, that a board of trustees, common council, or other legislative body of a city or the board of trustees of a library district in which a withdrawal from the county free library system becomes effective on or after January 1, 2012, shall comply with certain requirements before entering into a contract to operate the city's or library district's library or libraries with a private contractor that will employ library staff to achieve cost savings. The bill would make conforming and nonsubstantive changes. This bill contains other existing laws."

 

Simi Valley to weigh letting county run library for another year - Ventura County Star - 11/05/12

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/may/11/simi-council-urged-to-reject-proposals-to-run/

"The Simi Valley City Manager's Office is recommending the City Council reject three outside proposals to run its library in favor of letting Ventura County continue to administer it for another year.

An unresolved lawsuit against the city by Service Employees International Union Local 721, which represents more than 20 library employees, makes it infeasible to meet a July 1 deadline to have a new administrator take over the library on a more permanent basis, Assistant City Manager Laura Behjan wrote in a memo to the council. The council will take up the issue Monday night.
The lawsuit alleges the city acted improperly by approving a resolution in December to withdraw from the Ventura County library system. Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh heard arguments in the case last month and will issue a ruling at an unspecified date.
In the meantime, his order temporarily blocking Simi Valley from contracting with any private company to run the city's one library remains in effect. In response to a city request in February, Maryland-based Library Systems and Services LLC — the nation's largest private administrator of libraries — plus the city of Thousand Oaks and Ventura County submitted proposals to run the library."

Judge Blocks Simi Valley from Privatizing, For Now - Library Journal - 20/02/12

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/02/industry-news/judge-blocks-simi-valley-from-privatizing-for-now/

"Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh temporarily blocked Simi Valley from contracting with a private company to run its library. Although the city expects to receive proposals to run the library by the end of February, on February 7th, Walsh ruled that the city cannot contract with a private library services company such as Library Systems & Services (LSSI), which already runs two nearby libraries, until the case’s next hearing. At that hearing, on April 9, the plaintiffs will seek a preliminary injunction."

Simi Valley Council and LSSI tried to push through the privatisation process before AB438 came into force a bill which requires cities to show cost savings before privatising, and bans any loss of jobs or benefits for existing library staff. So much for democracy and accountability!

LSSI CEO Brad King Responds to Governor Brown Signing Assembly Bill 438

http://www.lssi.com/news/CEO%20Statement%20%20--%20AB%20438%20Becomes%20Law.pdf
A formal statement from LSSI in response to Governor Brown signing in the AB438 Bill. They accuse it of "masquerading as open government and transparency" which is a bit rich from a firm that hired lobbyists to try and shoot the bill down, luckily they missed!

'Das Defends Library Law' - Santa Barbara Independent 13/10/11

http://www.independent.com/news/2011/oct/13/das-defends-library-law

"Admitting that SEIU certainly had come to him with concerns about handing over public libraries to private enterprise, Williams also explained that folks from CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) and Friends of the Library approached him with their worry about the potential impacts of going private. “I was hearing from everybody what a terrible thing privatizing could be and, as we went along, I received a lot of encouragement from around the state,” said the former Santa Barbara city councilmember. As for accusations about not negotiating with opponents, Williams scoffed and pointed to the fact that the adopted bill did not include his originally proposed voter clause, which would have required a vote of the people before a city could go private, as evidence of his willingness to work with opposing views."

 

AB438 Bill passes senate vote!

Congratulations to Assemblyman Das Williams, Lori Rivas and all the others who have campaigned vigorously to have Bill AB438 passed.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/sep/08/bill-limiting-local-governments-ability-to/#

LIBRARY “OUTSOURCING” BILL PASSES SENATE POLICY COMMITTEE

http://www.cla-net.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=292  - AB438, the bill that would “impose requirements on a city or library district that intends to withdraw from a county free library system and operate libraries with a private contractor.” passed the California Senate Governance and Finance Committee on 6/7/11, this is an important step on its way to becoming part of Californian state law.

"AB 438, as you may recall, is sponsored by the Ventura Reader’s Book Group and supported by SEIU and the California Labor Federation. AB 438 is opposed by the California League of Cities, LSSI, and the California Chamber of Commerce. During debate on the bill, the supporters argued for the protection of jobs and for more public input on the decision to outsource, while the opposition argued that the “practical effect of the bill was to ban cities from contracting out services, which likely means staff layoffs and branch closures.” 

 

LSSI, Santa Clarita and the AB438 Bill

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/md-firm-to-take-over-3-calif-libraries-as-debate-grows-over-privatization/2011/03/31/AFbrbO2C_story.html

“Much of the alarm comes from misinformation fomented by our critics,” Pezzanite said, adding: “All library policies, including those about fines and fees, are created by the communities we serve. LSSI does not set policies or own any library assets. . . . It is difficult to sit on the sidelines while our company is being attacked and not be able to respond to false and misleading information.”

The claim that "false and misleading information" is being used against them is ironic from a company that has hired lobbyists to spin its case against the AB438 Bill that if passed will require a county to hold a public vote before deciding to outsource or privatise their library system!

for background see;
http://www.seiu721.org/2011/04/my-library-and-my-profession.php
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/42595/