Huntington Beach wants to make sexually explicit library books inaccessible to children

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The Huntington Beach City Council has passed a proposal to look into making obscene or pornographic books inaccessible for children to check out at public libraries.

A meeting on Tuesday night ran until 1 a.m. because dozens of people signed up to speak about the proposal. Many had differing opinions.

"By banning books, you're basically saying you don't trust us with our families. You're on a slippery slope," one woman told the council.

Others voiced support for the proposal.

"We don't want to ban anything. We simply question whether it is the role of a public library to interfere with the most intimate aspects of children's lives by exposing them to sexually explicit material not authorized by their parents," a man said.

In the end, the council's conservative majority asked the city attorney and city manager to return with various options in September.

The proposal, brought forth by Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark, asked city staff to come up with policies to screen books. She says it is not a book ban.