Sacramento Officials Deadlock on Library Internet Porn

Sacramento, CA – After hours of public debate, the Sacramento Public Library Authority Board deadlocked 7-7 late yesterday on whether to continue allowing patrons to access pornography on library computers. The tie vote means current library policy will remain unchanged. That policy allows adult patrons to request that filtered internet access be turned off for any reason, including accessing porn.

Attorneys from Pacific Justice Institute warn that the Board’s impasse places young library patrons at risk. PJI staff attorney Matthew McReynolds attended the public meeting yesterday and urged the Board not to be intimidated by threats from the ACLU. “Unfortunately, we can’t stop sexual predators from coming into libraries. But we certainly don’t have to throw out the welcome mat by offering free, taxpayer-funded access to porn in close proximity to potential victims,” McReynolds said. He pointed the Board to investigative reports from cities around the country which have discovered sex crimes – from indecent exposure to molestation – taking place in libraries which allow access to porn.

With the tie vote, Library Board members who favor access to porn indicated that they were weary of hearing public outrage on the issue and did not want to consider the issue again anytime soon. As it currently stands, Sacramento’s policy lags behind many other library systems in California which have taken a zero-tolerance approach to patrons who view internet porn. The vote ended up satisfying almost no one, as the Board also rejected calls by the ACLU and Planned Parenthood to loosen current restrictions which require parental permission before minors are granted unfiltered internet access.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented, “We are pleased that seven members of the Library Board stood with us, but we are very disappointed that seven others voted to place adults’ sexual desires ahead of kids’ safety. We urge libraries throughout the country to adopt zero-tolerance approaches to pornography, and we are standing by, free of charge, to defend any library attacked by the ACLU for taking a strong stand against smut.”