Voters reject Huntington Beach's library review board in special election
During Tuesday's special election, nearly 60% of Huntington Beach voters approved the measure to eliminate the city's library review board.
The City Council implemented the controversial policy in 2023, ordering librarians to move books deemed to be obscene or pornographic. The guideline met stiff resistance from the ACLU and local residents, including city council members who voted against the review board.
"If you do look at legal jurisprudence, what that says is even moving a book from the children's section to the adult section is censorship," said Councilmember Rhonda Bolton, who voted against the board. "That's what the law says. So, I'm not going to advise anyone to do something that's not legal."
In the ACLU's lawsuit against the city, former librarian Erin Spivey described the ordinance as a book ban.
"When you remove a book from a section and place it in a new section that is only available to adults, that is censorship," Spivey said.
In the weeks leading up to the special election, Councilman Chad Williams' political action committee paid for "Protect Our Kids from Porn" signs to be placed across Huntington Beach, sparking outrage from some parents.
"I have fielded no less than 200 calls and texts and messages from outraged parents," Ocean View School Board trustee Gina Clayton Tarvin said.
Williams claimed the city's libraries contained pornographic content. It's a similar allegation made by the former mayor, which led the council to approve an appointed committee to oversee which books are allowed in the children's section.
"Children should not have access to these books," said former Mayor Gracey Van der Mark. "If you're an adult go for it; you can read whatever you want. But, it is our job and our responsibility to protect children from material that could be harmful for them and if they're not mentally mature enough to read these books we shouldn't be exposing them and only the parents can decide that. The government should not be deciding if this is appropriate for their children."
The second measure on the ballot, Measure B, garnered nearly 61% of the vote. It aimed at solidifying the public operation of the city's libraries and barred privatization.
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