Dear Editor,
I would like to answer the Community Pulse poll’s findings with the facts of the proposed library tax, Measure A, which will appear on a ballot to be mailed to each registered voter in the county of Santa Clara. Six of the eight persons polled said they would not vote for Measure A because the library had surplus monies, because the library managers should have budgeted differently to prevent a loss of funding, because since there is a new library, there should not be a need for further funding, and so on.
The tax renewal being considered is completely separate from the City of Gilroy library construction bond proposition which was passed by voters in 2008. Any money raised by that bond can only be used for building the library and developing sufficient parking for its use.
This money cannot be used to purchase books and research materials, maintain library open hours, provide an adult literacy program, run summer reading programs for school children and story times for toddlers and preschoolers and much more.
The funds for all of these services is provided by the Santa Clara County Library District which is made up of libraries in Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill and Saratoga. This special tax has been in existence for the past 20 years providing funding for local libraries and Measure A will simply continue this funding to maintain and protect local library services, without increasing existing taxes. The measure requires that every dollar raised within a city is returned to that city for the benefit and operation of the local library in that city.
In particular, Measure A impacts the more than 100,000 school age and pre-school children who attend library programs each year. With slated staff reductions or closures of school libraries in some communities, the local library will become even more important to families.
In answer to the question asked in the article “Library hours mulled over” which appeared as a headline in the June 7 issue of the Gilroy Dispatch as to why the library isn’t open on Sundays and Mondays, the answer is there is not enough money to increase the hours of operation. If Measure A does not pass, it is likely that the library will have to close another day to day-and-a-half each week.
Carol Smith, Gilroy Library Commission Chair
In 2014, let us choose a new government
Dear Editor,
The new GOP has come up with the idea to pay for disaster relief by cutting programs for the bottom 98% of Americans. No funds from taxes, no cuts to programs for the top 2%, this ties in well with their plan to pay off the national debt. The appalling part of this is, American voters have given control of our House of Representatives to these folks. Voters have kept enough GOP senators in office to block any meaningful legislation to help America’s struggling families. 2014 will give American voters another opportunity to select a government that works for the American People.
Frank Crosby, Morgan Hill
