It does seem a bit strange that the city of San Diego, with its $1.5 billion deficit, is spending $10 million to build a new branch library for Hillcrest-Mission Hills. The city recently hired an architect. But it should stop the project until it finds support other than taxpayer funds.

In 2003, before the magnitude of the budget crisis was known, the city purchased a lot at the southwest corner of Washington and Front streets; it was the site of the old IBEW building.

Some have expressed skepticism about the timing of this venture: “Isn’t the city cutting back on tree trimming and street repair?”; “Who needs a public library when there’s F Street?”; “I don’t need to study in a library, I go to Lestat’s”; and, “Doesn’t the city know about iPods, Google, Yahoo and wireless Internet?”

I support the new branch library. And the Friends of the Mission Hills-Hillcrest Branch Library deserve our thanks. The mission statement for the branch specifically shows that this facility will have “non-traditional resources” reflecting that our residents are “straight and gay, in traditional and non-traditional families.”

That’s extremely important. I spoke with the author of Heather has Two Mommies last week, and she mentioned that her book (like others aimed at GLBT folks) is one of the most banned books in public libraries. In reviewing book-banning litigation, while the libraries usually prevail, most GLBT books are never ordered; and when libraries are forced to remove a book, 99 percent of the removals are not challenged or litigated. We need a place where books about GLBT issues can be read.

Can’t people get them online? A lot of books for the GLBT community are not available online, and the ones that are require a licensing fee to read them.

Can’t people just buy them at Obelisk? That’s assuming they have money to purchase books and other forms of intellectual property. Luckily, the best paper – the GLT – is free.

Can’t people just go read these books at The Center? Sure. But The Center depends upon the generosity of Bruce Abrams to fund the lending library.

And why should books relevant to GLBT issues be excluded from the public library, which we pay for?

But aren’t libraries obsolete?

Strange as it seems, libraries in Los Angeles are more popular than ever. They’ve transformed themselves from warehouses for musky books into civic centers. For example, the branch library here will provide meeting rooms for neighborhood organizations, venues for performances and lectures, and exhibit spaces.

What about the cost of the civic center versus police and the other needs of the city? That’s the question I cannot answer. The city should not pay for new libraries/civic centers or sports facilities. Instead, the city needs to think outside the box when it comes to municipal financing of projects.

In Bankers Hill, developer Robert Lawrence transformed a neighborhood full of flophouses and offices into one of the most exclusive areas in the city. He built Laurel Towers. He’s going to renovate a block of blight in Mission Hills into a thriving commercial and residential place.

Developers like Lawrence or Tom Carter (Mission Commons) might relish the thought of taking the old IBEW building site and building the branch library. To fund the construction of the library and create an endowment for library support, the city would allow the developers to build a 10-story tower providing views of the ocean and mountains; the properties would command prices in the millions and finance the entire project without cost to the city.

That’s the kind of thinking Mayor Sanders has to bring to this city. He should have San Diego follow Philadelphia and San Francisco and provide more than just access to books – San Diego should provide access to the information highway for everyone.

The city should provide wireless Internet access. Who’s going to pay for it? That’s the easy question. The only reason the city won’t address the question is because the businesses that are going to lose – cable providers – are fighting desperately to save their monopoly.

Finding the funds to pay for wireless access isn’t hard because major advertisers have learned that the markets they want to hit are on the Internet much more than television, newspapers and magazines.

Decades ago, the city of San Diego granted Cox the exclusive franchise for cable. It can do the same with several companies for wireless funding. In exchange for the funds, the companies get exclusive advertising or name rights. Think Qualcomm Stadium: It paid millions to renovate the stadium in exchange for naming rights.

If you agree with this thinking, then we should ask our local political candidates what they will do to finance city projects aside from cutting services and raising taxes.