Cities see benefit in library transition—Really…? Not really.

RE: “Simi leaders encouraged by success stories” By Carissa Marsh

Cities don’t see, however City Managers, Council Members or anyone else who helped make a decision regarding libraries or trash collection, will ever say they made a bad decision.

“The decision has been made, and it was a bad one,” said City CFO Darren…

Such admissions tend to get people fired or help lose elections. That’s a fact. So upbeat assessments, without evidence mean nothing.

Camarillo Mayor Michael Morgan said referring to LSSI, “If this group doesn’t work out, we’ll hire somebody else.” There is nobody else. LSSI is the sole source provider of such services in the country. You still don’t know this?

“We’re not going to get RFPs until if and when we decide to leave the system,” Simi Mayor Bob Huber said. “We’re going to make this decision without a cost-benefit analysis because you can’t do the cart before the horse.” If you don’t know that there is a benefit, both financially and/or from a service perspective, why would Simi Valley even consider making the decision. Making a decision and then find out why you made it is kind of like putting the cart before the horse.

The rush to make this decision is admittedly based on the fear of AB 438 which would require that a cost-benefits analysis be done. Santa Clarita’s Mayor Marsha Mclean used fear to push for the change in the SCV, —saying she could see the cracks forming in the Los Angeles County Library System, and she was afraid…Oh never mind….

Anyway, fear should never replace research, due diligence, and common sense.

Check your local library for a copy of “Chick Little,”  or here for an online version, or here for the Disney animated cartoon version.