Measure L was approved by more than 63% of L.A. voters in a huge victory for the Los Angeles Public Library.
The initiative will reverse $22 million in massive budget cuts that Mayor Villaraigosa passed last year. The budget cuts required the library to close two days out of the week and resulted in painful cuts to services offered.
Measure L requires the city to gradually direct additional funds to the Los Angeles Public Library over the next four year without raising taxes until the 2009 funding levels are restored. Mayor Villaraigosa and the city council will now have to figure out what other city services to cut instead of libraries.
The magnitude of this victory speaks volumes about how much the citizens of L.A. love their libraries. They don’t want to raise taxes, but they definitely want to keep libraries open instead of other city services. Let’s hope voters in other cities go to the ballots with the same priorities.