County looking to support state bill counteracting book bans at libraries

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As California lawmakers are looking to pass a bill aimed at preventing challenged books from being removed from public library shelves, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is pitching San Diego County throw its support behind the measure.

The supervisor announced plans on Monday to bring forward a policy that would ceremonially affirm the measures lawmakers hope to implement through Assembly Bill 1825, which would create new book collection development rules for state-funded public libraries.

The county’s chief administrative officer would also be directed to recognize “Banned Book Week,” running from Sept. 22 to 28, at all San Diego County libraries each year. The annual event aims to highlight titles that have been subject to restriction or removal efforts in the U.S.

Among the books highlighted during previous Banned Book Weeks are “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Looking For Alaska” and “The Diary of Anne Frank.” According to the American Library Association, the impacted titles disproportionately feature themes tied to LGBTQ+ identity, racism, gender-based violence, and mental health.

“We are standing up for democracy and working to keep literature from being censored in San Diego County,” Lawson-Remer, who is running for reelection in November, said in a statement.

“A significant portion of the bans happening across our country are targeting books representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people,” she added. “With this policy, we’re protecting your right to read and fighting back against racism and bigotry.”

AB 1825, also called the “California Freedom to Read Act,” would require each public library to create and make available a written policy for cultivating its book collection, as well as prevent library boards from restricting certain materials based on their topics or views expressed in them.

Publicly-funded libraries at schools would be exempt from these new guidelines, according to the bill.

Proponents of AB 1825, including the American Library Association, argue the measure would preserve Californians’ right to read books from a wide variety of opinions and ideas, as efforts to pull certain titles from shelves across the U.S. have shifted from schools to public libraries.

Supporters further contend that it will protect librarians’ ability to shape book collections based on their professional judgement, without outside groups opposed to certain content stepping in.

However, opponents say the bill “blatantly” ignores local authority delegated to library governing boards, leaving little room for community members to voice their opinions on what they want their public libraries to look like.

According to Lawson-Remer, she hopes to bring her proposal before the Board of Supervisors next Tuesday. Meanwhile, AB 1825 is in the final push to be passed by the State Senate before the deadline to send measures to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

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