Okay, here goes:

Background: I'm on the Boards of Directors of both local library nonprofit groups, the Friends of the Oceanside Public Library (new window) and the Oceanside Public Library Foundation (new window).

This has been in the works for a while. The local City Council (4 Republicans and 1 Democrat) wants to outsource everything in sight. The city manager started talking to a private library management company (there's only one company that does this) last November. This came to the attention of the Library Board of Trustees in early January. At that point, I started a number of balls rolling:

1) I submitted public records requests for the city manager's email and telephone records to see how long this had been in the works.
2) I started registering domains and preparing websites to oppose outsourcing
3) I started talking to other local community groups.

Results from the public records requests trickled in slowly, and were incomplete. I started raising hell about that, eventually getting documentation as to how long this had been in the works. The local paper has reported that the City was approached in December, because that's what the city manager has stated publicly. I have emails going back to at least a month before that, and an email from the contractor asking the city manager to keep things quiet as long as possible.

I also started a private wiki for people opposed to the outsourcing to post research about the company involved and links to information about places where they have succeeded in winning contracts and cities and counties where they have failed. Information is power, and we started accumulating a lot of information.

I also started working to build a broad coalition to oppose privatization. The local arts foundation (new window) signed on, as did a number of community groups focused on government transparency, groups focused on improving individual neighborhoods, local unions (including the San Diego/Imperial Counties Labor Council (new window)), the local LGBTQ resource center (new window), and the local chapter of the American Association of University Women (new window). Numerous individuals also wrote letters to the editor in local papers, and spoke at City Council meetings and workshops.

Showing the City Council that there was a broad group of individuals and organizations who are adamantly opposed to having the library outsourced resulted in the decision to kill this proposal. A lot of the work has been behind-the-scenes, but it shows that you *can* make a difference and get politicians to listen. The backpedaling began as soon as I started filing FOIA requests and looking hard over the shoulders of the City Manager and his staff. Getting a large swath of the community riled up broke the dam and made the proposal to outsource the library politically untenable.

Good for you!

propasaurus: Good for you!

Seconded.

AverageAmericanGuy: What's it like outside? Outside your basement? Did you have to fight zombies?

I heard about some dude preparing for the zombie apocalypse, but I never heard anything after that.

Were there any Pop Tarts out there?

Hey, for once try not to be an ass.

GWSuperfan: Okay, here goes:

Background: I'm on the Boards of Directors of both local library nonprofit groups, the Friends of the Oceanside Public Library (new window) and the Oceanside Public Library Foundation (new window).

This has been in the works for a while. The local City Council (4 Republicans and 1 Democrat) wants to outsource everything in sight. The city manager started talking to a private library management company (there's only one company that does this) last November. This came to the attention of the Library Board of Trustees in early January. At that point, I started a number of balls rolling:

1) I submitted public records requests for the city manager's email and telephone records to see how long this had been in the works.
2) I started registering domains and preparing websites to oppose outsourcing
3) I started talking to other local community groups.

Results from the public records requests trickled in slowly, and were incomplete. I started raising hell about that, eventually getting documentation as to how long this had been in the works. The local paper has reported that the City was approached in December, because that's what the city manager has stated publicly. I have emails going back to at least a month before that, and an email from the contractor asking the city manager to keep things quiet as long as possible.

I also started a private wiki for people opposed to the outsourcing to post research about the company involved and links to information about places where they have succeeded in winning contracts and cities and counties where they have failed. Information is power, and we started accumulating a lot of information.

I also started working to build a broad coalition to oppose privatization. The local arts foundation (new window) signed on, as did a number of community groups focused on government transparency, groups focused on improving individual neighborhoods, local unions (including the San Diego/Imperial Counties Labor Council (n ...

As Moderator said, KUDOS. Keep fighting the good fight.

Bathia_Mapes: AverageAmericanGuy: What's it like outside? Outside your basement? Did you have to fight zombies?

I heard about some dude preparing for the zombie apocalypse, but I never heard anything after that.

Were there any Pop Tarts out there?

Hey, for once try not to be an ass.

He can't help it.

Hey, who are you so I can say I know somebody famous in real life? I'm not too far from Oceanside, I even know people who aren't Farkers there, they should know about this.

Nice work. Well done.

Good for you.

9beers: Because paying city employees more to do the same job obviously makes more sense.

Actually, in this case, it *does*.

A) Outsourcing libraries doesn't always save money. The next county over saw their costs go up 18% in the first 4 years after they outsourced.
B) Having decisions about the public's access to information be made with full public transparency is crucial. Contractors don't have to make their records public.

jingks: crossthread: 9beers: Because paying city employees more to do the same job obviously makes more sense.

And turning libraries into private profit centers makes even more. Ass.

More ass for who? I'll could always use some more ass.

The secret is to eat more butter and sugar!

9beers: would have saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars a year according to estimates

The key word there is "estimates". Ask Osceola County, FL how happy they are. The initial savings estimates that they were given by this same company wound up being off by almost 70% (new window).

GWSuperfan: .......Results from the public records requests trickled in slowly, and were incomplete. I started raising hell about that, eventually getting documentation as to how long this had been in the works. The local paper has reported that the City was approached in December, because that's what the city manager has stated publicly. I have emails going back to at least a month before that, and an email from the contractor asking the city manager to keep things quiet as long as possible........

That is so awesome. Keep up the good work. People need to see that they are being lied to. Just hard facts with no spin; no room for dodging the issue. Here's person A, on this date, asking person B to keep something under wraps. Here's person B, on a later date, keeping what person A asked to be kept under wraps, kept under wraps.

9beers: crossthread: And turning libraries into private profit centers makes even more. Ass.

LOL what? All this would have done is turn over the operations of the two libraries to a private company instead of the city having to finance its operations and would have saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars a year according to estimates. All the ignorant people who opposed this did was force the city to find other ways to cut costs. Have fun doing without some other city services because you got all butthurt over something that didn't matter to begin with.

Your the kind of guy that applauded Arizona for selling their government buildings and then leasing them back, aren't you?

9beers: meat0918: 9beers: crossthread: And turning libraries into private profit centers makes even more. Ass.

LOL what? All this would have done is turn over the operations of the two libraries to a private company instead of the city having to finance its operations and would have saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars a year according to estimates. All the ignorant people who opposed this did was force the city to find other ways to cut costs. Have fun doing without some other city services because you got all butthurt over something that didn't matter to begin with.

Your the kind of guy that applauded Arizona for selling their government buildings and then leasing them back, aren't you?

Depends, did it save money?

No

"The sales are expected to generate $737 million for general operations, according to news reports, while costing taxpayers more than that from the lease-back payments during the next 20 years. The state, which has not released what these agreements will cost the state, will continue to pay for the operations and management of the property." Link (new window)

Wow. Really excellent. Keep the pressure on for whatever asinine thing they choose to do next. Well done!

I may be in the minority, but what does it matter if a library goes private? They are fossels that leach city funds and provide few services other than government jobs to lib arts majors.

Thanks to everyone for the Kudos.

I know some people have been wondering where I've been for the past couple of months- dealing with this has been a big part of why I've been MIA.

GWSuperfan: Thanks to everyone for the Kudos.

I know some people have been wondering where I've been for the past couple of months- dealing with this has been a big part of why I've been MIA.

Again, kudos. Please ignore the naysayers in the thread. IMHO, libraries are important to the community, no matter what some people think.