Huntington Beach Public Library  Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In the Southern California community of Huntington Beach, days before sharp budget cuts to the Huntington Beach Public Library (HBPL) were proposed—and then walked back—battle lines were drawn over a proposal to screen public library materials for what some deem sexually explicit or age-inappropriate content, and possibly limit access to those materials. The challenge, however, did not originate with an anonymous patron or member of a right-wing group, but with the city’s Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark.

On June 20, the City Council voted 4–3 to direct City Attorney Michael E. Gates and City Manager Al Zelinka to return in September with “options to establish safeguards” for HBPL materials. That was a less-controversial version of what Van Der Mark had proposed earlier that night : an ordinance calling for “screening protocols” and a way to make “obscene” or “pornographic” library material “unavailable to minors.” The screening process would also cover books and material “yet to be acquired by the library.”

The narrow vote followed more than five hours of public comment at a special meeting, with 135 people signing up to speak for a maximum of three minutes each. The city clerk also reported 621 emails on that single agenda item entered into the record.

“I was absolutely awed at the community support that came out for the library,” Jessica Framson, HBPL’s library and cultural services manager, told Library Journal. Framson, a city employee, added that she was opposed to any proposal designed to cleanse the collection of what others view as objectionable content.

Public comments at the meeting ran at least 5–1 against Van Der Mark’s proposal, but emotions were high on both sides of the issue. Some speakers were applauded loudly; a few were jeered. Mayor Tony Strickland frequently called for order.

After the public comment portion of the meeting, Van Der Mark introduced her proposal with a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation. She quoted graphic passages and content that she considered sexually explicit from books she said are currently available for young HBPL patrons to borrow. “What I am asking,” she added, “is that we look into different ways to protect kids from this. Parents, check these books out. If this is what you want for your kids, go for it.”

The June City Council discussion touched on no logistics of how a book screening process might work. City Attorney Gates said his role would not “be scouring through thousands and thousands of books” to determine which ones were obscene or objectionable.

Van Der Mark’s original proposal also sought to direct the city attorney to “look into the process to part ways” with the American Library Association (ALA).

Council members Dan Kalmick, Natalie Moser, and Rhonda Bolton voted against the amended motion. Joining Van Der Mark in voting yes were Mayor Strickland, Casey McKeon and Pat Burns.

CALL FOR “SAFEGUARDS”

“Many of those who spoke against my item to put safeguards in place to protect our children did not live in the city of Huntington Beach, and others were young adults without children of their own,” Van Der Mark later told LJ. “I do not expect them to understand how precious our children are and why us mothers will do everything in our power to protect them, even if that means we have to make decisions they do not agree with.”

She went on to explain her intentions in more detail. “I do not think books should be banned,” she wrote in an email to LJ. “I believe we should put safeguards in place to make sure children/youth are not exposed to this material without their parents’ consent. Many parents are not aware that this material is in our libraries.”

Patrons have never complained about indecent or age-inappropriate content since she took over as library manager in January 2021, noted Framson. “Patrons have not brought up that kind of a concern to our staff,” she told LJ. This year HBPL’s annual summer reading challenge logged especially high numbers, she said.

“Not every book is going to suit every person, and that’s fine,” Framson stated at the meeting. “But we do implore people and parents to make those decisions for themselves and their families.” HBPL would happily engage in study sessions with City Council members over collection curation, she added.

Dina Chavez, an active member of HBPL’s Friends group for several years, told LJ that patrons were stunned into action when word circulated of Van Der Mark’s proposal, and she was heartened by the public turnout on June 20.

“Nobody’s ever come after the library like this before,” she said. “People were very offended by that. They were really defending their librarians.”

HBPL has handled five book challenges in the last five years; one reconsideration forms was filed by Van Der Mark, who in 2020 sought the removal of Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. The title had been part of HBPL’s young adult collection, but the library later moved it to the adult section. In April 2022, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom classified Gender Queer as the nation’s most challenged book of 2021. Kobabe’s graphic memoir traces the author’s path to a nonbinary, queer gender identity.

Van Der Mark called it “the best solution we were able to come up with at the time.” But, she told LJ, she was “not satisfied” by HBPL’s challenge process, mainly because the library’s former manager “took offense to me simply challenging the book and she was not very friendly.”

A label for books could help warn parents of obscene or sexually explicit content, Van Der Mark added. “In my opinion having this information would only empower parents,” she said. “We have ratings for movies in order to warn the viewers there may be triggering or offensive content…yet some people are taking offense to books being labeled or warning about triggering or obscene material.”

A RESTORED BUDGET

Van Der Mark’s proposed “safeguards” were not the only threat facing HBPL in June. Just days after the meeting, the city released a comprehensive list of proposed budget cuts for FY23–24, which included a plan to shut three of HBPL’s five branches: the Banning, Main Street, and Helen Murphy libraries. The cuts were proposed despite city budget surpluses for this year and next; Strickland cited “a predicted recession” and an anticipated $7.4 million deficit for FY24–25 as justification in a comment to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Framson said she was told to plan for an 8 percent reduction. In that event, her main strategy would have revolved around systemwide reductions to branch hours, rather than whole closures.

However, on June 26 Framson and the library received good news: The city council passed a $500 million municipal spending plan for FY23–24, leaving HBPL’s budget almost completely intact. “We didn’t have to cut anything,” Framson told LJ,

She added that she did not view the proposed HBPL budget cuts and the concerns raised by Van Der Mark about the library’s material content to be connected in any way.