I have complained for years about the lack of libraries in Santa Ana, but a local blog called “Brix and Trix” has revealed yet another failing of our sad library “system.” You won’t believe this one…so here’s an excerpt:
There are a few movies at the Santa Ana Main Library I wouldn’t mind checking out, if it weren’t for the jacked up fees they charge. Get this…$2.00 each! What a rip! That’s effective July 1, 2008 at the start of the new budget year, up from $1.50 each checkout. That 50-cent increase is a 33% increase…crazy! I can walk over to my closest video store, Videosky, and pay $1.50 for a movie rental. Come on, Santa Ana…free library idealism aside, you need to at least compete with the local video rental shops! And consider that Santa Ana isn’t exactly swarming with folks in the position to cough up $2 for a library movie. About 16% of all Santa Ana households are living below the poverty level. Compare that to 7% overall in Orange County. Nice, huh? We earn less, but the City of Santa Ana sticks us with higher fees.
Unbelievable. Do the folks at Santa Ana’s Cith Hall have no shame? And that’s not all. The Santa Ana library also features a collection of graphic novels, which are bound comic books, that is falling apart. One of my kids checked our one of these volumes and of course the binding fell off. So when we returned it they tried to fine me for the cost of a new novel – even though it was already in deplorable condition!
We have only one library, and one learning center. Is it too much to ask for the ONE library in town to actually service the public well? Is it? I don’t think so. This is such a black eye for Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. He really out to be ashamed of himself. What a complete failure!
Note: the 2 dollar fee is for 2 weeks and the kids movies are all free.
i wonder how much their late fees are.. i live in another city and would like to compare. i’ll do some research. the fees are unfair. we don’t get charged for movie rentals in my city.
Yes, in the “free” library, we get charged $2 for a 2-week checkout for films that don’t fall into children’s or documentary/educational categories. The library should knock the 2 weeks down to 1 to help circulation.
I’ll do some checking, but I can’t think of any other library that charges for borrowing movies.
cook,
The kids movies SHOULD be free. The selection is very OLD.
Speaking of the SA Main Library; try to find the video recording of a City Council meeting according to the Council agenda description.
“DVD copies of the Council meetings for loan will be available for public circulation at the Santa Ana Main Library the day after the Council meeting.”
I attempted to find a particular council meeting dvd 1 1/2 weeks after that council meeting. After checking with 3 reference librarians, I was told that the City had not yet made that dvd available to the library.
So much for City Council promises.
Umm, let’s review
You are mad at the library / City because you don’t like their selection and cost of MOVIES!
What the hell is the matter with you.
You pass up thousands of wonderful BOOKS and whine about movie rentals and the condition of the COMIC BOOKS ??????
Baddicus, why don’t you checkout To Kill a Mockingbird and READ it to your kids
I don’t think the Library should be in the movie business at all. Why should precious library space and resources be wasted on movie rentals when you said yourself they are only a $1.50 at Videosky. Sounds like a real waste of resources to me.
Disgusted,
You have missed the point. Of course folks should read books – but it is criminal that the City is charging so much for these old videos.
Remember too that we have a large population of English learners. They can help their English studies by watching movies in English, particularly with Spanish subtitles.
The bottom line is we don’t have enough libraries and the ONE that we do have isn’t serving our public as well as it should.
Video stores are in business to make a profit. They make their money by bulking up on recent Hollywood releases…eventually a movie gets old, and the store gets rid of the title.
Nobody expects a library to operate like a video store and stock an army of new releases. A library takes pains to have a good selection of classics, critically acclaimed movies, and of course the blockbusters. (I did check out the Ken Burns Civil War series from the Santa Ana Library, and they do have Burns’ The War now, but all in all their documentaries are just as dismal as their children’s selection.)
As Art noted that movies in English help non-native speakers improve their English, I would say the same for movies in Spanish with English subtitles…great for improving Spanish for those learning. Where’s Santa Ana’s selection of classic Mexican cinema, like movies with Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Cantinflas, Tin Tan, etc.?
Good librarians could turn to the American Film Institute’s Top 100 lists, or get ahold of Academy Award winners. Hey, if movies are good enough for the Library of Congress, they should be good enough for Santa Ana.
RE: Disgusted.
No vhs and dvds? Are you kidding? I read books and watch movies like most people. When I can’t afford to see the latest movies that cost $10 in the theaters I run to Orange Library and borrow a movie. They have classics, documentaries, and contemporary films.
Movies transport you to places a lot of people will probably never visit. Italy is forever Fellini and France is Godard. That’s the closest to travel some of us will ever have. Even poor people can be cosmopolitan, at least in what they read about and what they watch.
The point is, most libraries in the county are free. Why isn’t Santa Ana – one of the poorest cities in Orange County?
When Ben Franklin conceived of the free library system, he meant FREE. Don’t argue with one of our Founding Fathers.
art, you can thank the council for the higher library fees. You see, when your overhead is so high thanks to the overly generous pay raises and pensions, you have to ratchet up fees on your services to make ends meet. Could be a reason why the city is in the hole by $30 mil. Art, how would you go about fixing Santa ana’s enormous budget deficit?
One library in a city with a population of over 400,000.
The one library apparently under serves it’s residents compared with libraries in other cities. This is so even though, these other cities, have multiple libraries and need to spread their library resource amongst them. Santa Ana doesn’t, it just needs to service one library.
The two facts above are just simply embarrassing. The residents should hold Santa Ana decision makers accountable. Replace them.
I was recently in Ensenada Baja California, Mexico. This city has a population of 400,000 and has 6 libraries.
The question repeatedly is asked. Why does Santa Ana only have one Library?
No answer is ever given.
The answer is that the city is %85 Hispanic.The city agenda is about not serving this segment of the population. Why else would a city decide to only have one library?
This is only one example of under serving this majority population.
We have to call a duck a duck. No one wants to acknowledge the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
Well I just did.
So Hector, you’re in favor of 1) having library checkout fees and 2) raising them to fill the budget gap? Give me a break. (That’s comparable to Schwarzenegger’s proposal to close 48 State Parks to balance the California budget.)
While you’re at it, let’s start charging every time a Santa Ana resident reports a crime in progress, or for each time we enter a neighborhood park, or how about every time we drive down Bristol?
Steven Greenhut might ask why the library is using its taxpayer funds to undecut the pricing of private sector businesses such as video rental stores. Food for thought.
Been there,
Aren’t libraries also undercutting bookstores? Think of all the additional books that bookstores would sell if libraries did not let them out for free.
And city parks. They certainly undercut private country clubs and golf courses.
Disgusted: Once your kids get to the junior high/high school level, they will have to watch videos/movies/films to do projects such as essays, reviews, research projects, etc. Also, wait until they get to a “research” university, they will have to do lots of research and that includes watching films, I know I did. Let us not forget that even though the “film and television” major is not impacted, it is very competitive. My ex roommate was a film major and she had to watch lots of movies (obviously). So why should they have to pay for movie/film/video rentals for educational purposes? Plus, what about those studious kids who have some free time and want to rent a movie but their parents can’t afford to do so? I remember my mother could not afford much as we were a family of seven. We could not even afford a VCR (or cable) because my mother was a single parent due to the passing of my father. Conclusion: Santa Ana kids should not have to pay for movie/film/video rentals at a public library just like we don’t pay in our city!
The city spends the majority of its budget on Public Safety, sales tax revenue is down, housing is in a slump, there are vacant lofts all around town,this is the main reason for the lack of libraries. As the the budget deficit grows, the library has to be creative to raise fees to keep their doors open.
Welcome to Santa Ana, there is nothing the current council nor the individuals running for office can do to change this, unless to give up Public Safety.
You all talk about other cities, well these other cities have a higher housing assessed value, their businesses and restaurants thrive, they don’t have a gang problem.
So embrace what we do have or move out of the city.
John sounds defeated…maybe he should be the one moving out of the city.
So other cities around California like Long Beach, Oakland, Fresno, Bakersfield, and Stockton don’t have struggling businesses or gangs? Somehow they manage to operate far more libraries (adjusted for population) than Santa Ana.
Up in Oregon this summer residents were grousing that all their libraries had been recently refurbished and then shuttered for lack of operating funds.
Economics causes all sorts of difficult trade offs like police or libraries. The fault still has to go to this Administration who has weakened our regulatory structure so that businesses can make more money just like everyone who made lots of money on the junk bond, ‘er variable interest rate loans that are behind the housing crisis.
John seems to be the designated apologist. The reasons given for only one library are even more ambarrassing.
In the attempt at producing excuses he re-enforforces the fact that the problem is mismanagement:
1. Spending most of the budjet on public safety.
2. Sales tax revenue is down.
3. Housing is in a slump.
4. Vacant lots all over town.
5. Other cities have a higher assesd housing values.
6. Businesses and restaurants not thriving.
7. The gang problem.
All these are results of mismanagement.The Mayor and City Mnager are responsible for management.
The above facts stated by the city apologist were created by this management. If now they cant not fix it, then they should step down.
John is a supporter of this leadership. For he to voice his opinion means that the leadership has convinced him and others that this mismanagement is not their doing.
So , who’s fault is it then? I am holding my. breath.
So John, you’re saying that just because there are gangs in certain cities they have to do with what they have? Forget about them? How racist is that?
There is one library in Santa Ana and it’s very sticky (literally) and it smells funny. Those gang members sure deserve such a blossom of a place. They’re lowlifes after all, eh, John and their children deserve no better.
I always hear “Education First” from politicians. That is complete BS in Santa Ana where it’s needed the most.
Viddies are free in Orange at the Public Library…any other towns have info?
Orange County Public Library system…about 32 locations…FREE-FIFTY-FREE!
Newport Beach – GREAT library on Avocado – videos FREE!
My town HB, I think a dollar for a week.
It’s the same with gas stations, groceries, everything is cheaper in richer neighborhoods, as little sense as that makes. “Soak the poor” is the cruel logic of the free market.
I have nothing intelligent to say on this post except I am amused by the creativity of the commenters’ names:
BaddicusFinch
Ezrapounded
Are you the same person????
longboobs…
Kinda the same! Married for 8 yrs! hehehe
One library in Santa Ana and by governmental design the city library charges for services other cities with multiple libraries do not. The message is clear. No respect and contempt for it’s residents(85% Hispanic).
The charging of city library fees other cities offer their residents is insult to injury.
Santa Ana’s taxpayers contribute to a city budget comparable to that of Anaheim but get little back in return. Where does it go?
Anaheim has a resident population similar to Santa Ana. Sana Ana has a resident population of 375,00. Anaheim in addition to the resident population has a transient population (tourism and entertainment)of over 1 million. Anaheim also has a larger geographic area than Santa Ana.
Anaheim protects it’s resident and transient population with a public safety budget significantly below that of Santa Ana. How is that possible?
In case some are wondering. The Hispanic population of both cities is similar. Sorry, it is not a factor.
That is so cool! I hope you both keep commenting; it’s good to hear from new perspectives!
It has been mentioned in the past that SA is not part of the County library system. I am not sure why there is no push for the county to provide library services like they have in other cities.
Can anyone explain?