Grauer Students Testify For Library Card Access Bill In Sacramento

From Alicia Tembi, US History Teacher:

Grauer students Esme M. '27 and Zaid N. '27 flew with me to Sacramento for the day on June 17, to support California Senate Bill SB 965, which is sponsored by Senator Catherine Blakespear. The bill eliminates the requirement of an in-person parent signature in order for a 16 or 17-year-old student to obtain a library card. For over 10 years, I have brought my US History 11 students to the Dove Library in Carlsbad to gather books and primary sources for a World War II research project. The in-person parent signature has hindered students' ability to get a library card for many years. This bill would make it much easier for teens (many of whom can drive themselves) to access libraries and take advantage of their many resources including books, digital resources, study rooms and more.

While in Sacramento, Esme and I delivered testimony during an Education Assembly hearing in support of SB 965. Esme was asked some follow-up questions by the chair of the Education Committee, which she answered with thoughtfulness and clarity. SB 965 has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee at this time, and a hearing date has not yet been set. 

We also sat in on Senate hearings on Environmental Quality and Healthcare. It was incredibly inspiring to see our state politicians working so hard to better the lives of California residents. We got to enjoy a tour of the state capitol, including seeing where the Assembly members vote. We got to meet all of Senator Blakespear's Sacramento-based staffers, and even sat in on a meeting with a company that wants to co-sponsor an e-bike safety bill Senator Blakespear is working on. It was a very informative and inspiring visit that highlighted the power and importance of state politics.

Zaid had this to say about the experience, "Our visit to the state capitol in Sacramento opened my eyes to the complex and beautiful inner workings of our government. I am truly inspired by the amount of effort that senators like Catherine Blakespear put in each day to keep our state functioning." Esme has this to share, "During our trip to Sacramento, we were given the opportunity to be spectators and participants in a variety of Assembly meetings. From the Healthcare Assembly to the Education Assembly, I was astounded by the amount of work and effort our state employees put into making our state as just as possible. I was especially amazed by Senator Blakespear and her team's commitment to not only their district, but California as a whole. Thank you to Alicia for giving Zaid and me the opportunity to experience life in the Capitol for a day, and thank you to Senator Blakespear for taking the time out of your busy schedule to show us the ropes of being a Senator."

I stated this in my testimony, "As a society that is leaning more and more toward sound bites and tweets—and further away from long-form writing—we should do everything we can to make books accessible to young people. It is up to us to foster a love of reading in each and every young person. It is up to us to create a more informed citizenry that sees value in developing expertise through books."

Huge thanks to Senator Blakespear for seeing the value in giving teens greater access to public libraries, and for allowing us to participate in the process. Finally, huge thanks to Esme and Zaid for actively and enthusiastically participating in California's democracy!