Mirkarimi Triumphs -- Launches Plan for Sunday Hours at Branch Libraries

Mirkarimi Triumphs - Half Million Earmarked for Sunday Hours

In a triumph for public library service and for Ross Mirkarimi the Budget and Finance Committee of the Board of Supervisors voted to set aside almost one half million dollars earmarked for Sunday hours in library branches. How this happened makes, I think, a fascinating and instructive story.

The second half of the Budget and Finance Committee’s consideration of departmental budgets is happening this week and the Public Library appeared before the committee this afternoon, Thursday June 29, at about 12:30 p.m.

Supervisor Mirkarimi asked a number of questions about why Sunday hours or indeed some increase in hours were not being brought forward in the face of a nineteen percent (19%) increase in the library department’s budget. The City Librarian, Luis Herrera appeared totally flummoxed and could only say that, and I think I can quote him exactly, “we are not recommending it because of future budget obligations.” And he made it clear that he was talking about giving money to the bond program. Actually he said it twice. The first time he talked about future obligations, “in particular capital projects” and the second time he spoke about the future “in terms of capital projects.”

This means that not only is the Library transferring $4 Million to the bond program this year but they are saving the rest of the money rather than provide public service, so that they can transfer more next year. Supervisor Mirkarimi quite correctly understood that with this attitude the public would never get any service increases.

I appeared before the Board of Supervisors last week and noted that Ross Mirkarimi was being held hostage because the Western Addition Branch in his district was to receive additional money on the condition that the $4 Million transfer go through. (My graphic for this showed Ross Mirkarimi being held behind bars. The question was whether Mr. Mirkarimi was going to acquiesce in being held hostage. At least a few people who were watching with the sound turned off thought that this graphic suggested that Mr. Mirkarimi ought to be in jail. I’m sorry if anyone thought that, but I can’t responsible for people who are not listening.)

Well Supervisor Mirkarimi staged a prison break. I can’t read Mr. Mirkarimi’s mind but I think he decided that he didn’t want to be identified with diverting money away from public service, he wanted to be identified with increasing public service whenever possible. I suspect that he also recognized that if City Hall is going to take $4 Million from public service, then the public ought to get at least something.

I should explain that my feeling was that the responsible thing to do was simply resist the bond transfer and insist that money be used for public service as it had been intended. I recognize that my position has the virtue of moral principle. The City Librarian wanted his $4 Million bond transfer and the status quo on everything else. Mr. Mirkarimi, for better or worse, lives in the world of practical politics and outsmarted us both. He set about finding some money that could find its way into public service and from there to Sunday hours without opening the political hornet’s nest of the $4 Million bond transfer.

It turns out that the Budget Analyst had negotiated with the library administration a reduction of $280,000 that could be had through prudence and some judicious cutting. Luis Herrera had agreed to it. This is typical as the Budget Analyst invokes its oversight role and casts an auditor’s eye over the budget submission. It turns out that there was another $200,000 that had been identified by the Controller’s office as an increase in the baseline as the estimate was refined and that had never been appropriated.

City Librarian Luis Herrera, the first time he was asked about what it would cost to increase hours, stated that it would cost $2.3 Million to increase hours in 16 branches. But that was an inflated proposal that envisaged full service on Monday and had been designed as a deterrent to increasing hours – a sort of scare tactic. When Supervisor Mirkarimi asked how far $480,000 would go in providing Sunday hours, Mr. Herrera didn’t know. That meant there was nothing preventing Supervisor Mirkarimi from stating that he believed the $480,000 could go a long way in providing Sunday hours and so he did say it.

At that point, Mr. Mirkarimi stood alone on the battlefield and there was nothing left but the mopping up. The deputy Controller explained that it would be a simple matter for the money to appropriated for salaries to open on Sunday contingent on the library administration supplying a plan. Supervisor Mirkarimi made a motion to that effect. Of course, Supervisors who march in lockstep with the Mayor were opposed to it. Supervisor Elsbernd voted against it, but all he could say was that he would be comfortable moving on to the next department. Supervisor Dufty also voted against it, but had nothing to say. The majority that carried the vote were Mirkarimi, Daly and Peskin. Bravo to them all.

I propose that it be known as the Mirkarimi Plan for Sunday Hours. It is not just about Sunday hours. It means that public service can be identified as a priority by the Board of Supervisors and the library administration will have to provide a realistic assessment of what public service is actually being provided.

Everyone who reads this should pass along the recommendation to publicly support the Mirkarimi Plan for Sunday Hours and they should promote it as if the Library itself depended upon it. I think it does.

SaveOurLibraries.com

James Chaffee chaffeej [at] pacbell.net