San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s budget proposals have included closing all 37 library branches on Sundays and Mondays. It could save the city more than $8 million.
Community members and advocates have argued that across-the-board cuts aren’t fair to communities that need library resources the most.
“People have really turned out and said, ‘This is unacceptable,’” said Patrick Stewart, CEO of the Library Foundation SD. “‘We understand that budgeting is hard, but we also have a set of priorities that we want to budget for.’”
Now, members of the San Diego City Council have weighed in. They sent memos to the city’s Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) outlining their priorities as the budget process enters its final days. This week, the IBA published a report on potential budget adjustments.
Of the nine council members, eight said they want to see library hours restored, especially on Mondays. District 2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell did not list library hours among her priorities.
The IBA’s report outlines the cost and staffing needs for Monday hours at 14 of the 37 branches, including the 10 libraries that offer after-school homework help. It would cost $3.1 million to keep those 14 branches open full hours on Mondays, while opening them for just four hours would cost $2.2 million, according to the IBA.
Eight council members also want to avoid cutting recreation center hours. That could cost between $300,000 and about $3 million, depending on the number of centers included.
In a joint memo, Council President Joe LaCava and Councilmembers Henry Foster III, Kent Lee and Sean Elo-Rivera asked that they prioritize restoring service in the city’s most vulnerable communities.
“The young people in these communities often do not have another option,” Elo-Rivera said.
Elo-Rivera said one way to pay for restored hours is to move up the start date for paid parking at Balboa Park. Gloria’s budget suggests charging for parking starting Jan. 1.
Starting by Labor Day could bring in another $5.5 million, according to the council members’ memo. He said the city could also consider charging nonresidents to park at the San Diego Zoo.
“We absolutely have the capacity and the ability to accelerate making those folks pay,” he said. “Why would we not do that when the benefit that comes from that could be … never shutting down libraries, never shutting down rec centers, never shutting down parks?”
The City Council will discuss the report on Friday. They plan to make modifications and adopt a final budget on Tuesday.
