Rules Committee advances reauthorization of Library Preservation Fund with technical fix and continuation

Supervisor Safaie presented a charter amendment to renew the Library Preservation Fund (LPF) for 25 years through June 2048. Janice Moody of the Controller’s Office provided a fiscal summary, saying the amendment would continue a property‑tax set‑aside equal to 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed value and baseline discretionary revenue contributions; the Controller estimated the property‑tax portion at approximately $83.1 million in FY2023 and a baseline discretionary requirement of about $112.8 million.

Maureen Singleton, Chief Operating Officer of the San Francisco Public Library, and City Librarian Michael Lambert outlined LPF accomplishments including expanded weekly branch hours, facility improvements and a robust collections budget (over $20 million). The committee heard extensive supportive public comment from library commissioners, Friends groups, advocates and residents who described the LPF’s impact on branch hours, programming, digital access and equity. A technical correction was identified (change "month" to "months" on page 5, line 24); the committee approved that amendment and continued the item to the call of the chair so staff can prepare the corrected text and an additional hearing if necessary.