Take Action

The Mayor heard our voices, and his revised fiscal year 2027 budget has reduced the previously proposed $6.3 million in cuts to the Library department to $4.8 million. This is a move in the right direction! 

In the revised budget, closing the North Clairemont location is no longer a consideration. The budget revision also partially restores some of the Library Matching Funds, which would have left money on the table for our Libraries – a key element in the ongoing public-private support of the San Diego Public Library system. 

The San Diego Public Library is still facing millions in cuts in the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. We must now encourage our City Councilmembers to source additional funding to prevent the loss of hours that you fought to restore last year. When Library hours are lost, San Diego communities lose access to art and culture programs, youth services, and economic development initiatives. 

The San Diego Public Library is still facing millions in cuts in the revised fiscal year 2027 budget, which would further reduce hours, programming, and services for patrons.

• In fiscal year 2026, the San Diego Public Library’s budget was cut by $6.8 million, resulting in the closure of all 37 Library locations on Sundays and 20 locations on Mondays. The reduced service hours have also decreased the number of services and programming the Library can provide. 
• As a result of continuing budget cuts, the Library’s materials budget is just $2.8 million for a city of 1.4 million residents — about $2 per person. That spending level is significantly lower than that of comparable public Library systems nationwide. 
• The proposed cuts will also affect the Library’s maintenance budget, limiting its ability to address more than $60 million in deferred maintenance needs.

The San Diego Public Library system is no stranger to funding challenges, having experienced more than $640 million in funding losses over the past 20 years for the more than 6 million patrons* who visit its 37 locations each year. The San Diego Public Library’s budget has lagged behind those of comparable library systems for years. Despite a Library Ordinance approved by the City Council in 2000, which set a goal of allocating 6% of the City’s general fund to the Library department, the Library has never received that level of funding. 

The City’s 37 Library locations cannot deliver the services, programs, and resources San Diegans rely on when they are treated as an afterthought. The San Diego Public Library is a core City service and deserves sustained investment to meet the growing needs of neighborhoods across San Diego.

Tell our City Councilmembers that San Diegans do NOT want the City to balance the budget on the back of the San Diego Public Library AGAIN this year.

City leaders must hear our voices loud and clear: defend our Libraries!

*This patron visit average was calculated when the Library was open seven days a week.