Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and city council members Eric Garcetti, Tom LaBonge, Bernard Parks and Jan Perry, City Librarian Martín Gómez and local students launched the return of Monday service at all 73 L.A. city libraries at a press conference outside the downtown Central Library.
Measure L, a ballot initiative passed by voters last March, is providing the funds to restore library service on Mondays.
The mayor and city council members who spearheaded Measure L were joined by Library Commission President Dr. Tyree Weider, Library Foundation of Los Angeles co-chair Jeff Brown and other dignitaries for the opening. Students from Noble Avenue Elementary School in West Hills and the Ramon C. Cortines High School for Visual and Performing Arts in downtown will also participate.
The city’s 73 libraries were closed Mondays and service hours slashed to their lowest level in the library’s 140-year history in August 2010, following cuts to the library budget. Voter-approved Measure L gradually restores library service hours to the 2009 level over the next four years by increasing the Library’s share of City funding without new taxes.
