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RECEIVED !UG222011 Riverside Library Measure I City of Riverside BALLOT ARGUMENT IN FAVOR y August 22, 2011 City Clerk's Office The Riverside Public Library is a vital part of our community, offering lifelong learning opportunities, extensive resources and highly valued programs to every resident. Children, teens and their families benefit from afterschool and summer programs, including homework assistance. Neighborhood libraries provide our community's youth with safe, quiet places to read and study. Riverside libraries provide books, specialized programs and free access to computers and the Internet, enriching the lives of seniors and the visually and hearing impaired. Over the past years, with the support of this community, our library has grown and improved to better serve all residents. Measure I will preserve afterschool programs for children and teens, replace, upgrade and purchase new books, maintain free access to computers and the Internet, provide adult literacy and job search programs, continue library services for seniors, and retain librarians. Measure I is not a tax increase. Measure I will renew the $19 library parcel tax overwhelmingly approved by local voters in 2002, ensuring Riverside neighborhood branch libraries can continue for another ten years to provide adequate hours, valued programs and resources to our community. Every Riverside library will benefit. State budget cutbacks further threaten local library funding, making the need for a reliable source of funding more critical than ever. Without increasing current taxes, Measure I will provide approximately $1.4 million annually to benefit our library and cannot be taken by the State or used for other services. Funds will be audited annually and sunset in ten years. If Measure I is not approved, library hours and staff, as well as programs, books and computers for children, teens, adults, and seniors will be severely reduced or eliminated. Our community and the quality of life we value are enriched by our libraries. We respectfully urge your yes vote for Measure I. By: Judith Auth, Retired Riverside Public Library Director Ronald O. Loveridge, Mayor, City of Riverside Cindy Roth, President /CEO, Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce Waudieur E. Rucker - Hughes, President, Riverside Branch NAACP Wendel Tucker, Past President, Riverside Library Board of Trustees (Wordtt 9 _ ir