Huntington Beach, which spent much of the past year debating the content available in public libraries, will now consider a plan to privatize them.
The item is on Tuesday’s agenda. Local leaders say it could save the city money.
“In late 2023, the city was approached by [Library Systems & Services] proposing to deliver managed library services for our library system that would meet the same level of service that currently exists for substantial annual cost savings,” explained city spokeswoman Jennifer Carey.
“City staff is asking for City Council for approval to issue RFP, so that we can learn more about managed library services and if it is something that could be feasible for Huntington Beach. The intent is to gather additional information on these services and the companies who provide them.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Library Systems & Services runs public libraries in Escondido and Simi Valley. It has implemented aggressive cuts in some of the cities it contracts with in order to reduce overhead.
Privatization could certainly save the city money. But the council is likely to encounter distrust from residents and library officials amid the backlash over book bans. Huntington Beach has waded into the national debate. Last year, the council’s conservative majority voted to create a 21-member panel to review and remove material containing inappropriate content from the library’s youth sections.