In latest chapter of library wars, company cancels bid to manage Huntington Beach library

The company Library Systems & Services canceled its bid to manage Huntington Beach's city library system late Monday, a day before the city council was set to vote on it.

The company did not give a reason for pulling its bid, but Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark said the proposal likely would not have gotten enough support from council members to pass at tonight's meeting.

"I was not leaning in the direction of supporting it," she told LAist. "I believe they were aware."

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Van Der Mark was among the initial supporters of issuing a request for proposals to outsource library management. But she said the cost savings in the proposal from Library Systems & Services weren't clear and the transition to private management would have been cumbersome.

Carol Daus, a board member of Friends of the Huntington Beach Public Library, called the bid cancelation "a huge victory."

"We are all ecstatic," she said.

Library outsourcing idea provoked backlash

The idea of turning over management of the city's beloved library system to a private company had become increasingly controversial. By Tuesday morning, the city council had already received more than 250 emails from citizens on the outsourcing proposal, most of them against the idea.

Daus and other library supporters had also collected more than 1,000 signatures, in just over a week, on a petition to put the library outsourcing question on a future ballot.

And they've been holding weekly silent marches down Main Street, distributing lawn signs, and tabling outside of library branches and local businesses against the outsourcing idea and other recent city policies restricting children's access to controversial books.

"I've lived here in 28 years and I've never seen a group of citizens so angry about the library," Daus said.

Asked to speculate on why Library Systems & Services pulled its bid, Daus said: "Our library is such a beloved institution. A corporation would probably have looked at this and said, 'This is toxic, why do we want to get in involved in something like this?'"

LAist has asked the company for comment.

What we know about the proposal

The city council majority began looking into outsourcing the five-branch library system in March in order to cut costs. In late May, the city issued a request for proposals and got one bid, from the company Library Systems & Services. Former Huntington Beach Mayor Mike Posey is the company's regional sales executive.

The bid to manage the city's library system won't be made public until negotiations are over. But a staff report notes as a potential advantage that the bid proposes annual cost savings of up to $1 million and "streamlined bulk purchasing policies."

As for disadvantages, the report notes "a lengthy and challenging transition process," a potential drop in volunteers and donations, and strong public opposition to outsourcing library management.

The backstory

The proposal to privatize library management comes on top of heated debates that have taken place in Huntington Beach and elsewhere in recent years over public access to controversial books, especially about sexuality and LGBTQ+ issues. In February, per a directive from the city's conservative council majority, Huntington Beach librarians began removing books about puberty from the children's section along with other materials considered to include "sexual content."

The city council is also in the process of forming a committee of local parents and guardians that will be tasked with reviewing proposed books for the children's library which could have sexual content or sexual references and determining whether they're appropriate.

Library defenders fight back

Supporters of the city's library and its librarians had launched a passionate counter-offensive, including petitions seeking to overturn the parent/guardian review board and to prohibit outsourcing library management without approval from voters.

Daus said they will continue to collect signatures on both measures in hopes of getting them on a future ballot.

Reader Resource: How to attend tonight's city council meeting

Time: Tuesday, June 18 at 6 p.m.
In person: 2000 Main Street Huntington Beach
Remote viewing:

• Livestream on HBTV Channel 3
• On demand
• YouTube

Note: You can also download the Cablecast Screenweave App and searching for the City of Huntington Beach channel from any Roku, Fire TV or Apple device.

Public comment: You may comment in person by signing up to speak on items both on and off the agenda. Sign ups begin 30 minutes ahead of the start of meetings.