Voters in Huntington Beach, California, will decide on two ballot initiatives—Measure A and Measure B—concerning the city’s libraries on June 10, 2025. The initiatives require a simple majority vote to pass. To qualify for the ballot, supporters needed to collect signatures from 10% of the city’s registered voters for each initiative.

Measure A would repeal a law creating the Community Parent Guardian Review Board, which was designed to review and remove children’s library materials containing sexual content or references. The initiative would transfer the review of children’s library materials to the Director of Community and Library Services. Under the initiative, the director would have greater discretion in selecting library materials. Materials could not be excluded from the library collection because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to the creation of the materials, or because of the topic addressed by the materials, or the views expressed in the materials. The initiative would provide that the public “has the right to receive access to a range of social, political, aesthetic, moral, and other ideas and experiences.”

In 2023, the Huntington Beach City Council voted 4-3 along partisan lines to create the Community Parent Guardian Review Board, with Republican members in favor and Democratic members opposed. The board has not yet been established. The ordinance provided for a 21-member board, with each city council member appointing three members.

In the November 2024 election, three Republican candidates unseated three Democratic incumbents, giving the Huntington Beach City Council a 7-0 Republican majority.

Measure B would require the city’s libraries to remain publicly operated. The city would be prohibited from contracting with a private entity to operate the libraries unless there is a fiscal emergency or the contract is authorized by a majority vote of both the city council and the local electorate.

Our Library Matters is leading the campaign in support of the initiatives. The campaign said, “Our libraries face two significant threats: censorship from the Library Book Review Board ordinance that restricts librarians from purchasing diverse and educational materials, undermining intellectual freedom; and privatization, which could outsource library management to [a] private company and risk compromising the library’s public mission and community focus. By voting YES on both pro-library ballot measures A and B, we can safeguard the library’s future and ensure it continues to serve as a place of learning, inclusion, and opportunity for all.”

Protect Our Children with Councilman Chad Williams is leading the campaign against the measures. The committee said, “Measure A is a direct attack on parental rights. It dissolves the community parent board — the only safeguard that stood between your children and sexually explicit material. This measure strips parents of their voice and hands power back to the system that failed to protect our youth in the first place. Measure B doesn’t protect the library — it protects the very system that allowed sexually explicit books into children’s sections. This isn’t about access. It’s about accountability. Measure B keeps the broken policies in place and removes safeguards that parents fought hard to implement.”