It doesn\u2019t provide an updated cost-savings figure since the 2023 study produced by Library Systems and Services \u2013 the Maryland-based private equity-backed company that has done the vast majority of operations management for public libraries that have privatized, referencing the nearly $88 million estimated savings over 10 years, which county officials said they could not independently verify.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The latest move comes after residents and library staff mounted fierce public opposition since Supervisor Garry Bredefeld\u2019s request to study the privatization was reported by Fresnoland in June<\/a>. Fresnoland reported that the efforts stalled in late September after it became clear that there weren\u2019t four supervisors in support of the move.<\/p>\n With near-victory at hand, Service Employees International Union Local 521 \u2014 who represent many of the county\u2019s librarians \u2014 organized local residents to flock to the county\u2019s Hall of Records on Tuesday to tell the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to continue to oppose privatization efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Union members and friends of the library spoke at Tuesday’s board meeting, calling on the board to pass a resolution pledging support to the existing library system, and to essentially swear off any future efforts, similar to one unanimously approved by the Fresno City Council earlier this month<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNow that the vendor has abandoned its courtship of Fresno County, the moment has arrived to put a stake through the heart of this unholy proposal,\u201d said Joel Perez, an SEIU Local 521 member, who was among the 20 public commenters who spoke at Tuesday\u2019s meeting on the matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n With three of the five supervisors expected to leave at the end of the year, it is unlikely that this board would approve such a resolution or that it would carry much weight even if it were approved. A member of the new cohort of supervisors could reignite talks like Bredefeld did after he was elected in 2024.<\/p>\n Much of the local library system\u2019s operating budget comes from Measure B, a nearly-30-year-old countywide sales tax. Last renewed by voters in 2012, it will be up for renewal in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Fresno County Friends of the Library, a nonprofit library booster, shared in a statement on Tuesday after the board meeting that they\u2019ll be \u201cexploring whether we can add language to Measure B that would ensure that the funds can only be used if the Library remains maintained by the County, not a private entity.\u201d<\/p>\n Efforts to privatize the county\u2019s library system are also not new. In 2023, then-Supervisor Steve Brandau, who lost his re-election bid to Bredefeld, initiated an effort toward privatization with the same vendor.<\/p>\n Both discussions floated the idea that library privatization could potentially save the county millions of dollars annually.<\/p>\n The statement from the Fresno County Friends of the Library, and comments from union members and residents leading up to Tuesday\u2019s meeting, illustrate that residents have grown beyond frustrated with the county\u2019s repeated flirtations with privatization, and are now looking toward ending them for the long-term.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fresnoland.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Mike-Photo-1024x683.jpg\")
Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi, showing off his county library card. Pablo Orihuela | Fresnoland<\/p>\n