Now that library committees are illegal, Fresno County should scrap the whole thing | Opinion
What started last November as a really bad idea – Fresno County’s review committee for children’s library books – will soon be a clear violation of state law.
And the only question that remains is whether county leaders will acquiesce or dig in their heels.
I would advise the former. Recent history, however, suggests the latter.
Among the heap of bills signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom prior to Monday’s deadline was AB 1825, which requires public libraries to establish clear policies for choosing books but prohibits banning (or sequestering) material that deals with sexuality or race.
The California Freedom to Read Act, authored by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), takes effect Jan. 1.
“Unfortunately, there is a growing movement to ban books across the country, including in California,” Muratsuchi said in a statement. “Book-banning proponents are disproportionately targeting materials containing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQ and communities of color.
“We need to fight this movement to ensure that Californians have access to books that offer diverse perspectives from people of all backgrounds, ideas, and beliefs.”
Although Muratsuchi didn’t mention Fresno County (or Huntington Beach) by name, his legislation is designed to prevent a nationwide trend from gaining a toehold in California. It’s also a direct response to local conservative pushback against the state’s progressive values.
According to the American Library Association, 4,240 book titles were targeted for censorship in 2023 at public and school libraries – a 92% increase from the previous year. Books about LGBTQ and people of color made up 47% of those targeted.
In California, there were 52 challenges to 98 book titles in 2023 compared to 32 attempts to ban 91 titles in 2022.
AB 1825, which does not apply at school libraries, clarifies that library material can include sexual content that’s not obscene and leaves where to display those books to the discretion of librarians.
That by itself goes against Fresno County’s so-called Community Parent and Guardian Review Committee, which intended for an 11-member panel to determine which books are unsuitable for the children’s section. To view or check out those materials, children would need explicit permission from a parent or legal guardian.
Despite opposition from LGBTQ advocates and the ACLU of Northern California, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors narrowly passed a resolution to form the committee in November 2023.
Since that time the county received 101 valid applications from aspiring committee members but held off making any appointments while AB 1825 worked its way through the legislative pipeline.
County ‘carefully reviewing’ new law
Now that the bill has become law, county staff are “carefully reviewing the new legislation before making any recommendations to the Board of Supervisors about the future of the Community Parent and Guardian Review Committee,” spokesperson Sonja Dosti said.
Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau, who spearheaded the library committee ordinance, said it was another example of the state exerting authority over what should be local decisions.
“We have a different mindset than the rest of California,” Brandau said. “They’ve taken the decision out of our hands, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for them to do that.”
County officials have had months to prepare for AB 1825 becoming law. It was all but a certainty. What they’re really determining is whether to scrap the entire thing – which would rankle a lot of local conservatives – or take this battle to a courtroom.
The sensible move would be to stuff the committee a drawer. But this is Fresno County we’re talking about, the same municipality currently engaged in a legal scrap with California Attorney General Rob Bonta over Measure A. It’s also the name municipality that spent thousands of taxpayer dollars in a failed lawsuit against the renaming of Yokuts Valley – while continuing to use “Squaw Valley” in election materials.
So, no, I don’t expect county leaders to give up the fight so easily. It helps explain why the 2024-25 budget includes $9.3 million for lawyers – the non-prosecuting type.
But they really should. The library review committee was a bad idea from the start. Now it’s against the law, too.
