Under California's new Freedom to Read Act, Assembly Bill 1825 prohibits public libraries from banning books because of the race, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or political affiliation of a book’s subject, author, or intended audience.
The American Library Association reports that 4,240 book titles were targeted for censorship nationwide in 2023, a 92% increase over the previous year.
Nearly half the books were about LGBTQ subjects, and communities of color made up 47% of those targeted.
“It’s an example of a minority that doesn't like particular things trying to control what other people do and that's censorship, which I think is wrong,” said Pam Linney, San Luis Obispo resident.
Starting in 2026, state-funded libraries must also have a publicly accessible written policy detailing how books are added or removed.
Erica Thatcher, Marketing Coordinator for the San Luis Obispo Public Library, says they stand for free expression but sometimes people will hide books in their library.
“The kinds of books that get questioned are the kinds of titles that are questioned all over the country right now and those are normally books about folks who historically have not normally had a voice,” Thatcher said.
There are some books people feel should not be in a public library. Thatcher says she mostly hears this about children’s books.
“We have something called a collection development policy, it explains our purchasing and acquisition strategies and what we add to our collections and why,” Thatcher said.
Some people say they fear their children could access inappropriate or obscene books.
“I think we should ban the books but at the same time I think we should be taking the initiative as parents to monitor what our children are doing,” said Will Francis, Oceano resident.
Other community members disagree.
"I don't have children but I understand what's available today and would say the internet is a much more dangerous place than the library," said Rolando Locci, San Luis Obispo resident.
Click here for a link to the San Luis Obispo Public Library’s policy.
