Let me be clear about where I stand: I do not support privatizing the Fresno County Public Library system.

This idea has been examined before, and there was no support on the board to move it forward.

Today, Fresno County is again studying what privatization could mean, including its potential financial and operational impacts. No decision has been made to privatize our libraries.

But as that discussion moves forward, my position remains the same: Handing over the operations, budgeting and management of our public libraries to a private company is the wrong approach for Fresno County.

Our libraries are not simply places where people borrow books. They are community institutions. They are where children learn to read, students study, job seekers access computers and the internet, families participate in free programs, and residents from every background can walk through the doors and access information without being asked what they earn or what they believe.

Over the past several weeks, my office has heard directly from residents through emails, phone calls, and conversations in the community. Their stories are different, but a common message has emerged: People value their public libraries and want them protected.

Some have written about taking their children to the library. Others remember getting their first library card or relying on a neighborhood branch while going to school. Residents have talked about libraries as places for education, technology, children’s programming, community gatherings, and lifelong learning. Library employees and patrons have also raised concerns about what privatization could mean for staffing, services, accountability and access.

I hear those concerns.

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Residents Love and Invest in Our Library System

Fresno County residents have invested in this library system for decades. Through Measure B, voters have repeatedly chosen to dedicate local sales-tax dollars to library services. The library is also supported by dedicated property-tax revenues and relies only minimally on the county’s discretionary General Fund.

In other words, Fresno County taxpayers have already made a direct investment in keeping their libraries strong and accessible. Those public dollars should continue to serve the public through a library system that remains publicly accountable.

I also believe something more fundamental is at stake. A public library belongs to the public. Decisions about its services, resources, and future should remain accountable to the people it serves.
At a time when so much of the information we consume is controlled by corporations and algorithms, from television and radio to social media, our public libraries remain places where people can explore ideas, ask questions. and seek information for themselves.

We should be extremely cautious about surrendering that public responsibility to a private operator.

We should always look for responsible ways to use taxpayer dollars and improve county services. But efficiency cannot be measured only by what appears on a spreadsheet. We also have to consider access, service quality, employees, accountability and the trust Fresno County residents have placed in their 116-year-old public library system.

For me, the principle is straightforward: Public libraries should stay public.

About the Author

Luis Chavez is a Fresno County Supervisor representing District 3, which includes southeast Fresno and Clovis and neighborhoods such as Calwa, Easterby, Mayfair, and the Tower District.

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