Attorney Frank Bloksberg: County May Have Legal Problem Outsourcing
Paul Emery — on KVMR’s evening news for December 16th — interviewed local attorney, Frank Bloksberg, on the subject of library outsourcing.
Bloksberg suggested that — since Nevada County is not a “charter” county but a “general law” county — it is bound by California Code section 31000 with regard to the kinds of jobs it [...]
Public Meeting on Library Outsourcing (12/17/09 6:30 PM)
Marianne Greenberg, a passionate opponent of library outsourcing, will be hosting a public meeting to discuss alternatives on Thursday, December 17th at 6:30 PM in the Community Room of the Madelyn Helling Library.
Here’s a copy of the flyer:
LSSI Budget Details Revealed
Steve Monaghan, County CIO, emailed me the LSSI budget details yesterday, in the form of this document titled “LSSI Cost Proposal, Nevada County Library Operations.”
I had hoped that by studying these cost details, we would be able to quickly determine the plausibility of LSSI’s promise to operate the Nevada County Library system for 7% under [...]
County CIO Comments on Library Citizens’ Oversight Committee
In response to an email I sent to the Library FAQ, asking for a clarification of how many Library committee meetings there would be on Thursday at the Rood Center, and in what room(s), etc, Steve Monaghan (County CIO) sent me this direct reply:
“There will be one meeting in the Empire Room, second floor, East [...]
First Meeting of the Library Review Committees
According to yesterday’s update to the Library FAQ, the first meeting of the Library Review “Committees” (plural!) will be at 8 AM, Thursday December 10th at the Rood Center.
Here’s the complete FAQ update from yesterday regarding the committees:
“What is the public review committee structure and who is on it; what is their mission, when will [...]
County Will Make LSSI Cost Breakdown Public (But Not Online)
The County responded yesterday to my question about making LSSI’s cost breakdown public with the following update to the Library FAQ:
“When will the cost estimates presumably submitted by LSSI as part of its proposal, as specified in section 6.4 of the RFP, be made available to the general public?
The RFP responses are only a portion [...]
We Need To Do More Than Merely Oppose Privatization
It’s not enough to merely oppose privatization of Nevada County’s library system. Those of us who oppose privatization must come up with some concrete, positive ideas for solving the budget crisis, and soon. The budget crisis is real.
The elephant in the room is the “Salaries and Benefits” line item in the library budget. The figure [...]
Did LSSI Fail to Reveal Litigation?
The hardworking journalists at Yubanet noticed that LSSI is a party to a lawsuit in Florida:
LSSI responded to this question in the RFP:
6.2.4 Please describe any current, pending or past litigation (within the last 5 years) that your organization has been, is, or is expected to be a party to.
LSSI’s Response:
“There is no current, pending or [...]
County is Withholding Key Part of LSSI Proposal From Public View
As I was reading LSSI’s response to Nevada County’s RFP for outsourcing management of its library system, I felt as Pinocchio must have felt when he glimpsed the glittering temptations of Playland, but — unlike Pinocchio — I had the uneasy feeling that there may be danger within.
LSSI promises much: a 14% increase in hours [...]
Library Anti-Privatization Rally
A spirited group of Nevada County citizens — it looked like a hundred or more — rallied in opposition to library outsourcing/privatization in front of the Rood Center this morning from 7:30 until the beginning of the Board of Supervisors meeting at 9 AM.
Several speakers, including Madelyn Helling, Deb Abbadie and Lew Sitzer, spoke out [...]
