The Irvine City Council unanimously voted to lease and operate the Katie Wheeler Library for three more years on Jan. 14 after it was originally set to close due to the city’s transition to a city-run library system. 

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the city will pay the county $30,500 per month for the library’s lease with an annual 2% increase. Although the lease could be extended beyond Dec. 31, 2029, the county plans to integrate the facility into its park system as Irvine develops alternative libraries.

“The community obviously wanted Katie Wheeler, or at least library services, in that area of Irvine,” City Librarian Julie Zeoli said. “City staff over here are doing the best they can to provide some continuity of service and minimize impact.”

The initial agreement for the city’s withdrawal from the Orange County Public Libraries system  on July 23, 2024 only allowed for the city to operate the Heritage and University Park libraries because of Katie Wheeler’s location in the county-owned Irvine Ranch Historic Park. The county’s resulting decision to indefinitely close the library by June 30 received negative feedback, with an opposing online petition gaining over 5,000 signatures. 

“When me and my friends heard that they were trying to close it down, all of us went to sign the petition,” freshman Aaliyah Escalera said. “It’s a historic place of Irvine that’s been open for a while, and also it’s just a really nice place.”

Katie Wheeler’s role as one of the only community centers in northern Irvine further magnified the issue prior to the City Council District 1 election on Nov. 5, 2024, particularly through candidate Michelle Johnson’s campaign.

“A lot of people I spoke with didn’t know anything about it closing and were very upset about it,” Johnson said. “The library was always a place where I liked to go during school or after school, and it was important to me that the community have a place like that here and not take that away from them.”

Although county staff did not comment on alternative uses for the library, mayor Larry Agran has said that the county is considering turning it into a museum. The county was more supportive of the lease following community input, according to Community Services Director Chris Slama. However, Katie Wheeler is still scheduled to close for six months until the lease takes effect, more than double the transitional closure period of the Heritage and University Park libraries.

“One of the challenges we’ve had is a lack of cooperation from the county to facilitate an expedited process to coordinate the transition,” City Manager Oliver Chi said at the Jan. 28 city council meeting. “Those conversations are ongoing. We are hopeful that we can get the goal here in short order.”

The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved the lease at their Tuesday meeting. OCPL staff at transitioning libraries, including Katie Wheeler, will be transferred to other libraries or recruited by the city, according to Zeoli. City staff will also assess necessary repairs to Katie Wheeler and return to the city council for a budget allocation. 

Along with capital improvements, city staff are hoping to diversify the system’s catalog and expand community programming, starting with a series of monthly informational meetings.

Residents are encouraged to provide feedback at the next meeting on March 4 at Las Lomas Community Center and to check the city’s website for updates.