At a Monday news conference, officials and community members called privatizing the Fresno County Public Library system a “terrible” and “stupid” idea, warning it could lead to reduced hours, services, and public access.

Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi and Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez said they oppose efforts to privatize the library system.

“We want to send a strong message that over half the population of this county, living in the city of Fresno, their leaders stand firm and solid against privatizing our libraries and limiting access,” Karbassi said. “We should never put profits ahead of the welfare of our children. That is exactly what privatization will do. It is a stupid idea.”

Karbassi is running for the Supervisors seat being vacated by Brian Pacheco. His opponent, Kerman Mayor Maria Pacheco — no relation to Brian Pacheco — also opposes privatization of the library system.

Chavez described the idea of privatization, which is being studied by the county, as a “terrible” idea.

County Says Privatization Won’t Be on Supervisors Agenda in 2026

Fresno County issued a news release on Tuesday stating that privatization of the library system would not appear on the agenda of any Board of Supervisors meetings for the remainder of the year.

The news release acknowledged that the county had solicited a study to examine privatization and identify “potential costs, savings, and operational impacts.”

Information from the study will be relayed to supervisors via a board briefing and made available to the public in October or early November, a county spokesperson said.

Measure B, the Library Sales Tax

Shannon Wise, president of the nonprofit Friends of the Libraries, said 97% of the library system’s budget is funded through Measure B, a voter-approved one-eighth-cent sales tax first passed in 1998.

Renewed by voters in 2012, it will continue to support library programs and services until March 2029. A renewal vote is anticipated ahead of its expiration.

Full Press Conference