Executive Offices in Palace Library

The executive director of the Oakland Public Library and the growing ranks of her top deputies would occupy offices in a new library at Kaiser Center under Measure N. At $733 a square foot just for construction (furnishings would be extra), why are public officials putting their offices in a palace?

As recently as October 2003, the library's draft master plan conceded that "system-wide support services including acquisitions, purchasing and processing of materials, technology services, program development resources, and library administration ... could potentially be in a separate facility if needed due to space limitations."

Good idea. The palace library costs almost twice as much as ordinary commercial space.

Unfortunately, after the director, councilmember Quan, and other City Hall insiders hatched the scheme for a palace library at Kaiser Center, respect for public funds disappeared: "The Main library will also be expanded to improve the system-wide support services such as acquisitions, technology, purchasing, administration, and more." (Feasibility Study for Kaiser Arena As New Main Library, June 2006, p. 12)

Measure N dollars at work (forget about books)

At $733 a square foot, a 15-by-20 foot office for the director would cost $219,900, bare of furnishings. But if you are willing to spend the public's money so wastefully, will you skimp on the interior decorating? After all, the feasibility study for the palace library specifies "custom millwork" for the bookshelves. Ordinary shelves just do not hold a book as well.

Carmen Martinez, the director who took office in 2000, also seems to like an empire that is top-heavy with managers. In 2002, the website for the library showed eight system-level managers:

Director of Library Services
Main Library Administrative Librarian
Branch Services Administrative Librarian
Special Service Depts. & Second Start Literacy Program Superving Librarian
Community Relations Office Coordinator
Business Office Manager
Technical Services Supervising Librarian
Volunteer Services

By April 2006, the website listed fourteen system-level managers:

Director of Library Services
Deputy Director
Administrative Librarian, Policy and Strategic Planning
Chief Financial Officer
Supervising Librarian, Teen Services
Purchasing Manager
Manager, Computer and Technical Services
Supervising Librarian, Community Relations
Supervising Librarian, Children's Services
Supervising Librarian, Branches
Human Resources Manager
Supervising Librarian, Grants, Development and Programs
Supervising Librarian, Main Library Public Services
Literacy Project Coordinator

The evidence is web pages, not formal organization charts, so we cannot pinpoint the executive bloat with precision. We do notice the inflation of titles in true corporate style. For example, the same man who was Business Manager in 2002 is now called the Chief Financial Officer.

Of these fourteen managers, only the administrator for the main library itself has a solid need to be on the scene. On the other hand, if these executives and their departments absolutely need to be in the main library building, that is another strike against the whole proposal of building a palace at Kaiser Center at such a high price.

Dozens of clerical and professional employees do the actual work of making acquisitions for the whole library system, handling personnel issues, doing the central accounting, and so forth. Apparently, they too will have desks in the palace library. Why must Oakland taxpayers spend $733 a square foot on such office space when economical back offices elsewhere downtown would be just fine?

While Measure N would pour two-thirds of the $148 million bond issues into a palace library, the neighborhood libraries get crumbs at best from Measure N. Meanwhile, so many public needs in Oakland, from public safety to keeping the traffic signals in working order, get short shrift.

Vote No on Measure N!