Candidates defend open access to library materials at Berkeley forum
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Summary
At a Sept. 24 forum, all attending Berkeley City Council candidates voiced support for open access to library collections and opposed book bans as counterproductive.
Berkeley — Candidates for Berkeley City Council uniformly endorsed open access to library materials during a League of Women Voters forum on Sept. 24, framing the library as a civic hub and cautioning against censorship.
"I am very much in support of providing access to information, to literature, books, comics," incumbent Steve Baker said. "The notion of the censorship and pulling away books, is harmful to the community."
Gary Elrod called the library a hub of information and said he would "absolutely protect" access, describing it as central to countering misinformation. "Protecting access to information at the library is... a nonstarter for me," Elrod said.
Dennis Hennen said parental concerns exist but should be addressed by families, and that censorship "almost always backfires." "The information at the library absolutely should be open and available to all," Hennen said.
Josh Stapp said he was "generally supportive of open access to all books in the library," describing access as a way to support diverse interests and inclusivity.
No candidate proposed specific policy language or ordinance at the forum; comments were framed as campaign positions. The forum did not record any formal council votes on library policy.
