La Mesa to bring back Library Task Force

The La Mesa City Council has decided to resurrect the Library Task Force, a group that will facilitate community engagement as the city moves forward with revitalization of the Civic Center and plans for an expanded and modernized library.

Vice Mayor Lauren Cazares and Councilmember Genevieve Suzuki spearheaded the initiative, which they said comes as a “direct request from the community.”

“It’s essential that residents, library supporters and key stakeholders have a structured place to help guide the vision,” Cazares said Wednesday. “Reinstrating this task force ensures meaningful, transparent engagement as we shape a library that meets La Mesa’s long-term needs.”

The decision is part of a more than 20-year effort to expand La Mesa’s Civic Center, where the community library is located.

In 2008, the city constructed an “interim” library and post office building, but the process of updating the library has since slowed.

Nearly two decades later, plans to grow the civic center are underway after the City Council in September approved a schedule that could begin construction for the new city hall as early as July 2026.

Some community members are worried that plans for the expanded library will take a back seat.

The Friends of the La Mesa Library — a nonprofit with 435 members that has been around since 1969 — are staunch advocates for a new library that can serve the needs of the community.

“Community demand continues to exceed our library capacity,” said Kirsten Iverson, president of Friends of the La Mesa Library. “Restarting the Library Task Force ensures this vital project continues moving forward in a timely and coordinated way for our short- and long-term goals.”

La Mesa’s community library is approximately 10,373 square feet, which falls well below the 15,000-square-foot standard that is recommended by the San Diego County Library master plan for a medium-sized library, Iverson added.

A community room should be added, she said, noting that some programs and partnerships have “been turned away or postponed simply because there is not enough space.”

The organization is ready to engage in stakeholder conversations to “deliver what the community has been asking for,” Iverson said.

The city considered two plans for the upgraded library in 2023 and ultimately opted to expand the existing library into the adjacent post office building. That would add over 6,000 square feet to the existing location.

Mayor Mark Arapostathis said he hopes the task force will include both old and new faces to stimulate additional community engagement throughout the planning process.

Other members of the council agreed that La Mesa’s growing population underscores the need for broader community awareness of the library renovation.

“We need fresh faces because our kids have different needs now,” Suzuki said. “We need to have the library adjust to our needs that are ever-changing.”

It is unclear when the group will meet for the first time, or whether there will be changes to its past membership. The La Mesa City Clerk’s office did not immediately respond to questions regarding future plans for the task force.

In the past, the advisory body had seven members, consisting of one representative recommended by the San Diego County Library System, one by Friends of the La Mesa Library, a member of the local education community, a member of a local faith group or nonprofit and three at-large representatives. The group typically met twice a month.