Should Cities Regulate Library Internet Use?

After a lively debate that lasted hours, the council voted 7-3 to approve a proposal by the vice mayor and two councilmen that would remind computer users of existing policies to be courteous to others. Mayor Chuck Reed and council members Pete Constant, who led the push for the filters, and Pierluigi Oliverio were opposed, favoring filters in children's areas.

"There are a lot of different ways to protect our children," said Councilman Sam Liccardo who sponsored the approved proposal along with Vice Mayor Judy Chirco and Councilman Ash Kalra. The proposal argued the city should first find more money to expand library hours, school crossing guards and sex-crime detectives. Liccardo compared filtering to "fighting a global naval strategy by deploying all our ships to Lake Tahoe."