SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — A California Assembly member, arguing why his Freedom to Read Act should pass muster, said the American Library Association saw a 68% increase in people challenging books from 2022 to 2023.
Of the books challenged, 47% of them targeted the LGBTQ community, as well as Black, Indigenous and people of color.
“We want inclusive and diverse perspectives,” said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a Torrance Democrat and author of Assembly Bill 1825.
The bill on Wednesday passed the Assembly Education Committee, which Muratsuchi chairs. The first time being heard in committee, it now advances to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
Muratsuchi’s bill would affect public libraries, not school libraries, he emphasized. It would prohibit those libraries from excluding materials based on origin, background or the views of those who made them, or the opinions in the materials.
Muratsuchi said he started work on the bill last fall, when a wave of opposition rose against books offering the perspectives of the LGBTQ community and people of color.
Dan Kalmick, a Huntington Beach City Council member, said some leaders in his community seek to keep certain books out of libraries. He pointed to a review board in his city composed of people with no training who will vet library materials and potentially determine what isn’t allowed. That panel has no appeal process.
“That’s not democratic,” Kalmick said. “That’s not American.”
Craig Pulsipher, legislative director with Equality California, said the state isn’t immune to efforts trying to suppress free expression. That leads to harmful policies, like removing references to former San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk from books.
The Temecula Valley Unified School District is one of a handful of California school districts that became embroiled in a battle over what materials school children should access.
That school board passed a resolution banning critical race theory from classrooms in December 2022. It also rejected a fourth-grade textbook mentioning Milk, the first openly gay man to hold elected office in the state.
“This bill is an important and timely measure,” Pulsipher said.
The legislation drew some opposition.
Christina DiCaro, on behalf of the California Library Association, said her organization opposes the bill unless it is amended. She was concerned about an aspect of the bill that allows a library user to file a civil suit against a library that commits a violation.
However, DiCaro praised Muratsuchi for working with the association on its concerns and said a path forward appears possible.
Cynthia Cravens — who unsuccessfully ran last month for a San Francisco-area state Senate seat as a Democrat — called the intent of the bill “obvious” and noted it references schools a handful of times.
“If we are wrong, take out all references to school districts,” Cravens said.
Muratsuchi later repeated that his legislation focused on public libraries, not school libraries, adding that he could examine tweaking its language to bring more clarity if needed.
Addressing the potential litigation his bill could bring, Muratsuchi said he has no desire to have library funds go toward attorneys instead of their intended purpose. He also doesn’t want to invite unnecessary litigation.
“We want libraries to be fully funded,” he added.
Assemblymember Dawn Addis, a Morro Bay Democrat and committee member, praised Muratsuchi for introducing the bill. She called rhetoric against his bill unwarranted, adding that it’s important to stand up for the availability of literature that reflects the community.
“There have been so many attacks lately,” she said of pushback against certain books.
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