Shocking. Deaf. Scandalous. Callous. Fascist. Fishy…
In a shocking display of community and political deafness, Escondido’s Gang of Three right-wing Republicans on the 5-person City Council, so-called Mayor Sam Abed, and Councilmen John Masson, and Ed Gallo ignored overwhelming community opposition and voted for an ill-defined marketing sales pitch by the corporate interest, Library Systems and Services (LS&S) to take over Escondido library services.
Speaker after speaker, around 90 in all, spoke eloquently at the August 23 council meeting, factually, and with great insight against outsourcing. These speakers included many library volunteers, representatives of The Escondido Library Foundation, the Board of Library Trustees, and a representative of the American Library Association.
These comments fell on deaf ears of three of the Councilmembers.
You can see the full video recording, courtesy of Escondido Indivisible, of the travesty that took place, below...(For more information visit “On the Issue: Escondido Public Library Privatization.”)
In the hearing, Mayor Sam Abed revealed additional motives for his pursuit for outsourcing, adding his concerns about the quality of the current library. “You know what, if it was about $400,000 only I’d probably say let’s work hard and let’s find something.” This was hard to hear for most of the 100 people in the audience who had been hearing this issue framed, for weeks, as solely a cost-savings need. Certainly, many in attendance were ready and willing to work harder, if only given the chance to save the current library staff and programs.
One speaker pointed out, Mayor Abed’s media comments felt like a ‘smear’ against the current, dedicated, and loyal library staff. Speakers objected to the fact that outsourcing has been pursued without inviting the Library Administration to offer a proposal and the Mayor and Council had failed to seek the input of the library staff or evaluate several alternatives.
Others outed the Mayor’s push poll that he says (but has yet to release the results) shows people approve of outsourcing the library. Kay Guy, former school teacher called out the Mayor’s push poll for what it was,“Don’t give us a piece of electronic propaganda and call it a survey.” The Save the Library Coalition noted the over 2,800 signatures on a petition to stop outsourcing, which the Mayor dismissed out of hand. In the end, he seemed intent on ‘saving’ the library by giving it away.
Councilman Ed Gallo was emotional and frustrated by the public testimony stating, “I’m tired of this crap,”. He characterized a request that he consider the impact on families in his District who use the library as ‘obscene’. Oddly, he was more interested in how residents in Temecula would perceive our library struggle.
It was hard to understand how the majority could ignore the public testimony on this, which was researched, thoughtful, and compelling. Resident Debbie Resler stated, “I simply cannot understand how the City Council heard the same testimonies that I did, and still chose to move forward with this decision.”
Loretta McKinney, the former Library Director spoke about her firsthand experience of LS&S run libraries. “They cannot provide the same or better services and make a profit. Our library is not broken. This is not the only way to address the pension issue.”
Author Neal Griffin offered some context, “In 27 years, there has never been an outpouring of support like this for any city Department. This is an easy decision.”
Brenda Townsend thanked LS&S for their presentation but stated “We already have a lot of vibrancy. We don’t need to buy any more. We don’t need you.” Laura Hunter from Escondido Indivisible asked LS&S to withdraw their proposal until the Council had time to weigh all options. “It’s not about assets, it’s about people. It’s about programs. It’s about our future.”
The youngest speaker of the evening, Hunter Ayers, an Eagle Scout, opposed outsourcing. “My family uses the library. They know the people. We like it here because it is local.”
Responding to the many signs in the audience reading, Libraries are Sacred, Reverend Ray Camp reminded the Council that a library provided the moral frame for our city. “A library is a center of a community. Sacred centers belong to the people, should be controlled by the people, for the benefit of the people.”
Many spoke to the loss of volunteers, local control, loss of our quality staff, and loss of support for the bond needed for a new library. These risks of outsourcing are not reflected in the staff’s cost-benefit analysis.
It became evident as the Council comments went on that the Council majority is at a loss of what to do or how to do it. Like a one trick pony, the only solution seriously considered by the Council was to outsource. Their action was inexplicable. Knowing, as they stated, they can’t solve the City’s $18 million future pension problem on the back of the library with a, maybe, $400,000 savings per year, why don’t they address the problem comprehensively as many speakers recommended.
Kathleen Lamb cautioned, “Our city is not facing the future of who we are and who we need to be. The library is part of who we are for more than 100 years.”
Councilwoman Olga Diaz was the only clear opposition to outsourcing on the dias. She said, “In making this decision we are premature and out of order. We should know what our legal exposure is. We are making a decision based on a sale pitch.” Diaz offered multiple options and alternatives to all of this issues raised. She suggested several sources of funds that could help alleviate the pension crisis. None of these were considered by the majority.
Paul McNamara, offered some common-sense advice to the Council, “When you’re in a hole, stop digging.” He said that, if the Council proceeds with outsourcing, it is another step towards a downward spiral for Escondido.
The Save our library Coalition wishes to thank Councilmember Olga Diaz and Mike Morasco for voting no on moving forward with outsourcing at this time.
One speaker asked the Council, “How do you want to be remembered? As a wall or as a conduit of all of this library support?” The majority chose the wall. They might wish to read Robert Frost’s poem, Mending Wall. It begins, “There is something that does not love a wall”.
However, it was clear Wednesday night that thousands of Escondidans love their library.
Kay Guy reminded the Council, “We are not just a handful, we are many, we are informed.” To that, the Save our Escondido Library Coalition would add, “we are undeterred”.
The Council will now move forward and negotiate a contract with LS&S to bring back at a future date and they will need to respond to legal and labor issues raised in testimony. The Save our Escondido Library coalition will be evaluating next steps in our campaign to Save the Escondido Library. This cannot and will not be the last word about our library.
Here are actions to take:
- Email or call Olga Diaz and Mike Morasco and thank them for voting No.THANK YOUS are very important.
- Email or call Abed, Masson, and Gallo and share your feelings about their vote to sell out our library to corporate raiders. If you live in their district, be sure to tell them so. Everyone in the city is in the Mayor’s ‘district’.
- Email The Library Trustees again and thank them for their strong, principled stand.
- Email Cynthia Smith csmith@escondido.org and ask her to tell her librarians that we love and support them and we are not done fighting yet!
- Email or call Supervisor Kristin Gaspar and ask her to please encourage the County to submit a proposal to the city for evaluation. Kristin.gaspar@sdcounty.ca.gov
- ATTEND our member meeting on Monday, August 28 at 6:00 socializing, 6:30meeting at Chalice. We will be discussing next steps on this library issue. The media is not invited to this meeting!
- WRITE letter to the editors of papers and respond to their reporting.
- JOIN our Library planning team. Email us if you want to step up and help guide this effort. Email escondidoindivisible50@gmail.
com - VOLUNTEER if you have research, social media, media, legal, contract or accounting expertise, or a deep desire to save the library and change our city …we need you. Please sign on. You will have fun and will make some incredible new friends!!
- If you have time Watch the hearing on the Council website or on our Live Stream. You will hear some of the most amazing community testimony ever presented in that chamber.
I have no clue as to why this is such an issue. When you contract for services you state what you want and what will it cost and so if you desire a certain level of staffing and certain hours of operation then you put that in the contract and if the company fails to uphold the contract you fire them and run the library yourself, just like now. The Liberians will most likely switch from the city of Escondido payroll to the new companies payroll, so the staff will most likely be the same. Hospitals are profit making enterprises but the still have volunteers working there so I really don’t see why a library would be different.
What, you think a private for-profit company is gong to manage library services out of the kindness of their hearts? They’re going to try to turn a profit rather than serve the community. Since you’re making the right-wing argument, don’t you think the library should be controlled by, and responsive, to local residents rather than run by a faceless for-profit company headquartered elsewhere? It’s a political and financial sham.
This is a well thought out process of which the three voting city leaders made the right call. Cost savings and efficiency improvements benefit the city tax payers. Funny I am writing this from my smart device where at my fingertips, information that otherwise was best found at the library no longer seems so relevant given the online accessibilty to all forms of information. None of our elected officials (read all of them) are not fascist,they genuinely care about the city and their constituents. Look I don’t always agree with these folks,but they took a vote and you lost – for sound reason. Your butt hurt because a democratic process did not go your way. Get over it and move on!
Are you an Escondido resident or do you just play one on social media? the fact is the three right-wing fascist councilmen on the take are not representative of what the people of Escondido want. They represent gerrymandered districts, a GOP specialty. If you were at the city council meeting or watched the videos, you would understand that they are NOT doing this for any other reason than to make money and have their “donors” make money. You sound like an ignorant Trump mark. Stick to your San Diego issues, You’re not welcome here.