Media/Action Alert: Sacramento Library Board May Increase Access to Porn

Sacramento, CA – The Sacramento Public Library Authority Board is being pushed by the ACLU to increase access to pornography on taxpayer funded computers. The Board will consider the ACLU’s demands at its meeting this Thursday, March 27, in the chambers of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, 700 H Street. The public meeting begins at 3:00 p.m.

Pacific Justice Institute is encouraging local parents and taxpayers to attend the meeting and urge the Board to keep libraries safe for kids. Members of the media are also invited to attend, as this issue is expected to spark lively public debate. A PJI-affiliated attorney will also be present to counter ACLU claims that the First Amendment requires taxpayer-funded access to porn, and to remind the Board of the many tragic instances where lax policies have resulted in sex crimes taking place at libraries.

PJI previously battled this issue last spring, urging the SPLA Board to completely ban access to porn on library computers. The Board chose to adopt less-stringent measures such as installing some recessed screens and using filtering software. Now, the ACLU is claiming that even this approach is unconstitutional because filters sometimes block out other sites. In a letter to the SPLA Board, the ACLU specifically identified the needs of youth to have access to information about gay and lesbian issues, contraception, and other sexual materials without their parents’ knowledge.

PJI urges any members of the public who address the SPLA Board on this issue to maintain a respectful demeanor and remember that several members of the Board strongly supported PJI’s efforts last year to ban porn on library computers. For those not able to attend the meeting, comments can be sent to the Board via Brenda Haggard, bhaggard@saclibrary.org.

For more information, contact Pacific Justice Institute at (916) 857-6900. PJI attorneys are also available to comment to members of the media about this important issue.