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How the so-called Fab Four turned Surf City into ground zero for the culture wars
After taking office in 2022, four conservative council members — called the “Fab Four” by their supporters — set their sights on new voter ID laws (drawing a state lawsuit) and state housing mandates (another lawsuit), [they lost] changed rules that restricted which flags can fly on city property and altered the prayer policy in council chambers. Then they turned to books at the library.
[They passed several motions to remove or make inaccessible various things. Then created a review board to pass judgment on books.]
What exactly are those community standards? Whatever a majority of the politically appointed panel decides them to be, according to the ordinance.
[and now, it looks like they'd like to fire everyone and privatize the library...]
The conservative block, led by Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, says they have a responsibility to find the cheapest way to run the library, and that includes considering the option of hiring an outside contractor to take over daily operations.
The large and vocal turnout of library supporters saw something else: the latest in a series of orchestrated and ideological efforts by the City Council’s conservative majority to censor books, remove librarians and dismantle a beloved public institution.
Librarians say they feel vilified by some community members, who have referred to them as pedophiles and groomers in public and online. One senior librarian resigned, citing a lack of support from city leaders.
“Librarians and the library [are] under attack,” retired children’s librarian Barbara Richardson told me. “We’re part of a war we didn’t want any part of.”
Books removed from the children’s section
[Some of the earlier motions] led to librarians reviewing and pulling books about puberty, feminine hygiene, potty training and even a books about ships. But after complaints, the reviews and relocations were put on pause.
Critics say conservative city leaders are conflating books meant to provide information to adolescents about puberty and human sexuality with obscene sexual content.
“We’re not banning books,” Mayor Pro Tem Pat Burns said during a meeting last June. “The real intent of this is to protect kids from — really — mind poison or unwanted viewing of material that they shouldn’t probably view.”
Carol Daus and other library advocates contend the argument of protecting kids is a “performative” cover for the book access battles playing out across the nation.
“If there’s so much dangerous material in this library, why haven’t they brought the police in here and removed it?” Daus said.
Public reaction has been swift and strong
Residents are gathering signatures in hopes of putting a citywide initiative to voters in November that would repeal the upcoming review panel.
On social media and in council meetings, residents have decried the initiative to privatize as a bad-faith effort to control the library system.
“It’s really disappointing that in 2024, we have folks in California and in Orange County that are still trying to turn the clock back to 1965,” Kalmick said. “This is local government. This should be boring. But our meetings are not — they are gladiator matches … on national and social issues that local government is not designed to handle.”
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And there may be even more backlash. Two conservative school board members have already been recalled, and a group led by Surf City Seniors and a former mayor is taking aim at the city council.
After taking office in 2022, four conservative council members — called the “Fab Four” by their supporters — set their sights on new voter ID laws (drawing a state lawsuit) and state housing mandates (another lawsuit), [they lost] changed rules that restricted which flags can fly on city property and altered the prayer policy in council chambers. Then they turned to books at the library.
[They passed several motions to remove or make inaccessible various things. Then created a review board to pass judgment on books.]
What exactly are those community standards? Whatever a majority of the politically appointed panel decides them to be, according to the ordinance.
[and now, it looks like they'd like to fire everyone and privatize the library...]
The book war intensifies in Huntington Beach
A passionate crowd spoke in support of the Huntington Beach Public Library at a five-hour City Council meeting this week. When the conservative-majority council voted to continue its exploration of privatizing the library, attendees shouted: “Shame!”The conservative block, led by Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, says they have a responsibility to find the cheapest way to run the library, and that includes considering the option of hiring an outside contractor to take over daily operations.
The large and vocal turnout of library supporters saw something else: the latest in a series of orchestrated and ideological efforts by the City Council’s conservative majority to censor books, remove librarians and dismantle a beloved public institution.
Librarians say they feel vilified by some community members, who have referred to them as pedophiles and groomers in public and online. One senior librarian resigned, citing a lack of support from city leaders.
“Librarians and the library [are] under attack,” retired children’s librarian Barbara Richardson told me. “We’re part of a war we didn’t want any part of.”
Books removed from the children’s section
[Some of the earlier motions] led to librarians reviewing and pulling books about puberty, feminine hygiene, potty training and even a books about ships. But after complaints, the reviews and relocations were put on pause.
Critics say conservative city leaders are conflating books meant to provide information to adolescents about puberty and human sexuality with obscene sexual content.
“We’re not banning books,” Mayor Pro Tem Pat Burns said during a meeting last June. “The real intent of this is to protect kids from — really — mind poison or unwanted viewing of material that they shouldn’t probably view.”
Carol Daus and other library advocates contend the argument of protecting kids is a “performative” cover for the book access battles playing out across the nation.
“If there’s so much dangerous material in this library, why haven’t they brought the police in here and removed it?” Daus said.
Public reaction has been swift and strong
Residents are gathering signatures in hopes of putting a citywide initiative to voters in November that would repeal the upcoming review panel.
On social media and in council meetings, residents have decried the initiative to privatize as a bad-faith effort to control the library system.
“It’s really disappointing that in 2024, we have folks in California and in Orange County that are still trying to turn the clock back to 1965,” Kalmick said. “This is local government. This should be boring. But our meetings are not — they are gladiator matches … on national and social issues that local government is not designed to handle.”
--
And there may be even more backlash. Two conservative school board members have already been recalled, and a group led by Surf City Seniors and a former mayor is taking aim at the city council.
