County free public libraries: withdrawal: use of private contractors.

Existing law provides that the county boards of supervisors may establish and maintain, within their respective counties, county free libraries pursuant to specified provisions of law. Existing law provides that the board of trustees, common council, or other legislative body of a city or the board of trustees of a library district may, on or before January 1 of any year, notify the county board of supervisors that the city or library district no longer desires to be a part of the county free library system, as specified. Existing law imposes specified requirements on the board of trustees, common council, or other legislative body of a city or the board of trustees of a library district that intends to withdraw from the county free library system and operate the city's or library district's library or libraries with a private contractor that will employ library staff to achieve cost savings, subject to specified exceptions. These requirements, until January 1, 2019, include, but are not limited to, clearly demonstrating that the contract will result in actual overall cost savings to the city or library district for the duration of the entire contract, and prohibiting the contract from causing existing city or library district employees to incur a loss of employment or specified benefits or an involuntary transfer. This bill would instead provide, until January 1, 2019, that a board of trustees, common council, or other legislative body of a city or the board of trustees of a library district in which a withdrawal from the county free library system becomes effective on or after January 1, 2012, shall comply with the above-described requirements before entering into a contract to operate the city's or library district's library or libraries with a private contractor that will employ library staff to achieve cost savings. The bill would make conforming and nonsubstantive changes.