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State Library faces cuts; Braille Institute funding, cybersecurity and law‑library fee proposals draw scrutiny
Summary
At the subcommittee hearing lawmakers and witnesses discussed the administration's directive that the California State Library plan for a 7.95% reduction, vacancy eliminations, the Braille Institute's loss of state funding and separate proposals to fund cybersecurity upgrades and reestablish a special fee account for the Witkin State Law Library.
The California State Library told an Assembly budget subcommittee that it must implement the statewide operational reductions ordered in the 2024 budget act and manage the impact of vacancy‑sweep eliminations, while public commenters and library officials described the effects on specialized services for blind and print‑disabled Californians and outlined proposals to shore up cybersecurity and the Witkin State Law Library.
Public commenters representing the Braille Institute of America told the committee the nonprofit’s library services in Southern California have lost state funding and urged restoration. “Our funding has been completely cut from the state of California budget,” said Jim Dimitri Kales, identified as CEO of the Braille Institute of America, during the hearing’s public comment period. Braille Institute speakers described services they provide—braille books, audiobooks, large print and in‑home support for patrons across 10 Southern California counties—and asked the Legislature to restore $800,000 to the program.
State Library budget direction and vacancy savings Devin Mitchell of the Department of Finance told members that the statewide operational reduction of 7.95% should be applied to the State Library’s ongoing general‑fund support—about $2.4 million—and that the vacancy‑sweep would eliminate 10 unfilled State Library positions worth an estimated $1.2 million ongoing. The Legislative Analyst’s Office said combining the two control‑section actions would reduce the library’s state‑operation support by about $3.7 million, roughly 12% of the library’s operational budget.
State Library response and priorities Rebecca Wendt, deputy state librarian, told the subcommittee the agency sought to preserve core functions and to prioritize programs that cannot readily find alternate funding. “We run things on chewing gum and bailing wire,” she said, describing the library’s long history of running lean. Wendt said the library tried to select partnership programs that could more easily secure private or philanthropic support when cuts were required, but she also warned any reductions would slow digitization, resource access and other services.
Cybersecurity proposal The Department of Finance also proposed $332,000 in 2025–26 and ongoing funding thereafter to replace aging hardware and purchase cloud‑based security subscriptions to support the State Library’s cybersecurity posture. The LAO told the subcommittee it had “no major concerns” with that cybersecurity request and recommended approval.
Witkin State Law Library special account proposal Finance and the State Library discussed trailer‑bill language to reestablish a special fund for the Witkin State Law Library funded by a $65 portion of certain appellate civil‑case filing fees. The LAO noted the law library historically received a mix of general‑fund and special‑fund support, but said the share of special fund revenue has fallen: special funds covered about 43% of operating costs in 2017–18 but only 13% in 2023–24. The LAO recommended the Legislature require the State Library to produce a short report outlining revenue options for the law library and to reauthorize any special fund on a 1‑year sunset to allow legislative review (they suggested 01/01/2026 for the sunset).
Public testimony and next steps Advocates for Braille Institute and other community witnesses described the services that would be affected by reductions and urged the committee to restore funding. Wendt said the library continues to prioritize access and the preservation of California’s historical collections but warned the cuts will produce slower service times and reduce partnership programming unless alternative revenue is found. The subcommittee held the item open for follow‑up and requested additional details on the likely local impacts, particularly for specialized services such as the Braille Institute contract.
