L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today that the Los Angeles Public Library will end late fines starting in Spring of 2020.
Those of you who currently have an outstanding late fee, rejoice, because those if that outstanding balance was prior to the policy taking effect, they too will be wiped.
"Our library is a civic and cultural treasure, and everyone in the city should be able to share in the wealth of information, enrichment and entertainment in our collection," Garcetti said. "We are ending these fines because patrons show care and integrity in the handling of these precious materials, and nothing should stand in the way of Angelenos who want to share in all the library has to offer."
According to the mayor's office, fines for overdue books and other materials have disproportionately affected families and individuals with limited resources. Ultimately, the intent of the pardon is to encourage library use, and the library expects an increase in the number of library card-holders.
Watch Mayr Garcetti's announcement below (via CBS2):
Please note that this is not a total free ride. Library patrons will still be responsible for paying for any damaged materials. They will also be charged to replace any books that are more than 45 days overdue.
This isn't the first time the library has flirted with getting rid of the fines. An experiment run by the library earlier this year found people more likely to return overdue items. According to our sister station, KFI 640, more than 64,000 books were returned during the experiment.
What are your thoughts on this change from the Los Angeles Public Library?
PHOTOS: Mayor Eric Garcetti Twitter Account