It's happening in Santa Clarita, but it can happen anywhere. And that's why we need to stop it.
The City Council of Santa Clarita, CA recently voted to privatize the county's library system. The libraries will be taken over by Maryland-based Library Systems & Services (L.S.S.I.) which is owned by Islington Capital Partners, a private equity firm in Boston that has about $35 million in annual revenue and 800 employees, according to the New York Times.
Company officials have refused to discuss the firm's profitability with the press. While public agencies must report on every postage stamp and paper clip, private contractors like L.S.S.I. can profit off tax dollars without disclosure.
With little accountability to taxpayers, it's no wonder that privatization schemes frequently end up costing more and delivering less than they promise.
These are the stakes. Public libraries run by private equity firms. A company who produces "hydraulic winches" will now be choosing which books to shelve at the local library. Now we have to do something about it.
Library patrons everywhere need to tell politicians, "Our libraries are not for sale."
Sign the petition to stop the privatization of Santa Clarita's public libraries. Santa Clarita library staff will deliver your petition signatures to the City Council on the October 12th meeting.
Santa Clarita's City Council allowed for just one hearing with the public before voting 4-1 in favor of the takeover. One former City Council candidate spoke before the Council at a Sept. 14th hearing. "The public had virtually no information on this sudden proposal," said David Gauny. Santa Clarita residents and library employees are now calling on the City Council to withdraw their decision and hold three public hearings on the issue.
The privatization of city services became popular in the 1990s, but libraries represent a new frontier for contractors. John Petro, of the Drum Major Institute, brings the big picture back into focus:
What may be worst of all about these deals, however, is the erosion of the vital connection between government and the citizens that government is meant to serve. The privatization of city infrastructure and city services obscures the fact that governments exist in order to provide public goods. Public goods exist not because of a profit motive, but because providing these services creates a better quality of life for all of those in our society...
In the end, privatization deals are ultimately bad deals...By attaching a profit motive to [city services], we are confusing the very reason our society provides these services in the first place, which is to improve our quality of life.
Join us in reminding elected officials everywhere why public services are not for sale.
Read more on this issue at SEIU 721's blog.
