Meeting Time:
June 24, 2025 at 1:30pm PDT
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I am in favor of approving this lease. The beauty of the OPL system is that each library represents the neighborhood they are serving.
The Fruitvale/East Oakland area deserves this library. Please support this branch and approve this lease.
Ronile Lahti
President, Friends of the Piedmont Avenue Library
510-655-1723
Please pass this resolution. The Chavez Library is a critical resource for the Latino community in the area and throughout Oakland. We need these bilingual resources which go far beyond just checking out books. The services provided to youth and adults are urgently needed. ¡Muchas gracias!
Please keep this branch open! Libraries are a vital support center for the community. Oakland needs every library it has and we should especially honor those libraries dedicated to serve and honor the people and heritage of cultures that our nation at large does not want to remember or protect. Libraries are a safe haven! Please keep the César Chávez branch open!!!
Our libraries are essential parts of the community. Securing their future is important for not only the patrons of each branch, but for every person who lives in Oakland who's lives are affected by the knowledge and community fostered there!
Please support the lease for the Cesar Chavez branch library. The library is a beloved and central part of the Fruitvale community. Thank you!
--Carolyn Jones, Oakland library commissioner
Social Return On Investment (SROI) studies in multiple cities in America and Canada CLEARLY show a net REAL DOLLAR benefit for citizens whose communities invest in public libraries. Dollar-to-benefit ratios cities range from $3.00-$4.00+ of REAL DOLLAR benefit accruing the citizens of a community for every $1.00 of investment made in public libraries.
https://www.library.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Value-of-Libraries-Economic-Engine.pdf
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235293909_Libraries_and_return_on_investment_ROI_A_meta-analysis
It's an established FACT that public libraries are generators of many social and REAL DOLLAR benefits to the citizens of communities that invest in them. Every library we lose equals a NET LOSS of REAL DOLLAR benefits to the community, notwithstanding the social value/benefits lost if a public library is closed.
Currently a citizen of Oakland, in the past I served as Vice-Chair of the Palo Alto Library Commission for several years. During that time, we researched many SROI library studies (including San Francisco). From our research we realized that Palo Alto citizens would suffer a net loss of REAL DOLLARS and social benefits if *any* of its libraries were closed; the same is true for Oakland.
Given the foregoing information, I strongly urge the Oakland City Council to approve the extension of the lease for the César E. Chávez Branch Library (Library Branch), a branch of the Oakland Public Library system.
I have found my local branch of the Oakland library to be incredibly helpful and a good investment for the community. Every area of Oakland should have easy access to the catalog of books and educational materials. I highly support continued financial backing of the Fruitvale and all branches of the Oakland library system.
This is an important space for Oakland residents that provides unique materials and services within the Oakland Public Library system. Maintaining this vital community space and information hub needs to be a priority for the city. Even when facing significant budgetary restraints, we cannot afford to lose or interrupt this valuable resource.
Keep library services in Fruitvale. This branch is close to transit and schools. Perfect location
This library provides a crucial resource for communities throughout Fruitvale and Oakland, especially for Hispanic and Latinx people and families. During such a horrible and frightening time, having a safe community space for children to learn and for adults to get education and support resources is pivotal. The city must support their branch by continuing to fund their lease — it is the bare minimum.
This library has amazing staff and programming to help the Latino community in Oakland. It is truly a gem in the Fruitvale district used by all.