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Cerritos restores paid library card fee to $100 after council vote
Summary
The City Council voted 4-1 to reduce the annual paid Cerritos library card fee from $150 back to $100, reversing a 2022 increase after staff reported paid card purchases and revenue totals and council members cited access concerns.
The Cerritos City Council voted 4-1 on May 22 to lower the annual paid library card fee from $150 back to $100.
Library Services Manager Eric Cardoso reported that, after the 2022 fee increase to $150, 740 paid Cerritos library cards had been purchased, generating about $110,000 in revenue; the library also sold Wi‑Fi access passes that produced roughly $21,000 in FY 2023–24. Cardoso noted 16,614 active Cerritos library cards overall and 297 paid cards among them.
Multiple council members expressed concern that the higher fee had reduced the number of paid cardholders compared with the prior $100 rate. Mayor Frank Yokoyama moved to restore the $100 annual fee to improve access; Councilmember Polito seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-1.
Council asked library staff to take about three weeks to update patrons and communications materials and to ensure students eligible for free cards — including ABC Unified School District, BUSD and Cerritos College students — continue to receive free enrollment upon proof of enrollment, even during summer break.
What happens next: staff will implement the new pricing and update online materials and signage; the library will accept documentation for free student cards per existing eligibility rules.
