A surge of emergency calls, violent incidents and mental health crises is exposing a growing safety breakdown inside Los Angeles public libraries, where staff say they are increasingly afraid to come to work and city leaders admit they have the money for security but still have not filled the jobs. At a recent budget hearing, Los Angeles City Librarian John Szabo acknowledged the system is facing “very serious challenges across the system,” even as key security positions tied to the Los Angeles Police Department remain vacant.