The funds were never replaced in Contra Costa. And Alameda County libraries lost 40 percent of their budget when special district funds were raided to supplement schools. The only general fund money Alameda County libraries receive comes from a share of a utility tax collected in unincorporated regions. Despite the great wealth in Contra Costa County, the library system lags far behind other Bay Area communities, ranking just ahead of the tiny library in the rural Solano County town of Dixon in terms of funding. Library supporters wonder where the bottom is for the Contra Costa system, how much of a decline it will take to instigate a revival.
People are very skeptical of proclamations that the world is coming to an end.
The end seems perilously near in Contra Costa. The state's minimum standard for adequate libraries is two volumes per capita. In 1996-1997, Contra Costa County's libraries contained 1.53 volumes per capita, down from 1.64 in 1993. Virtually every branch in the system needs more books, more staff, more space and more resources. The Contra Costa County libraries strive to open every branch and outlet at their designated times, but minimal staffing levels often put that goal in jeopardy, which is how Gold ended up working that Saturday shift in Clayton.