YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE THOSE WHO CREATED THE PROBLEM IN CHARGE OF THE SOLUTION is titled -The deceit from El Cerrito has no bounds
Last week, EECRG reported the lack of transparency in presenting the financials to the public. The October meeting agenda, released Thursday, continues silence on Financial Updates and the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.
Now, they’re spending money like drunken sailors and depleting unrestricted reserves. The next stop is municipal payday loans; they’ll hold the residents’ hostage with a voter tax increase.
Like other public agencies that conduct business as usual and oppose advisory and oversight, El Cerrito is blocking its Financial Advisory Board from executing activities of their charter. According to the charter, FAB reviews the proposed annual budget and long-term financial plan for the City to assist the City Council in deciding major expenditures and revenue sources. Develops a long-term financial plan for the City, conducts an annual review of the City’s investment policies and considers the management of the City’s financial reserves to assure maximum returns on approved investments. Reviews the annual audit and management letter and provides the City Council with recommended changes in financial practices. Reviews and recommends all proposed bonds or other debt instruments to be issued.
City leaders have severely limited the effectiveness of FAB by holding the membership to three. This construct degrades the effectiveness in two ways. First, a quorum of three is needed. Conduct meetings. As you may recall, the September FAB meeting was canceled because of an absence. Second, with these three members, all subcommittee meetings are forbidden by the Brown Act.
City leaders resist any oversight of their millions of dollars of spending. They are beholden to the City Manager at the expense of residents and taxpayers.
What was shocking was the statement from El Cerrito City Manager Karen Pinkos indicating she works collaboratively with FAB.
What disingenuous poppycock!
Like most high-value expenditures creating upward pressure on the budget, she neither placed on the agenda nor presented the City Manager’s recent $450 per month car allowance nor the $1.1 million budget adjustment for Trucks to FAB for consideration. City leaders have already recently depleted non-restricted reserves to a dangerously underfunded level and have committed to spending another million amid the Real Estate transfer tax receipt decline. City leaders don’t want objective advice. They’ve spent the past three years trying to undermine the Financial Advisory Board,
In a few days, the City Manager will release the Newsletter with lots of “happy talk” while the City finances remain in shambles.
City leaders are clearly out of touch and have behaved irresponsibly for so long that they think it is a Commonplace practice of incompetence and abuse.
The City plans a ballot measure requesting more taxes. Before El Cerrito gets another taxpayer bailout, reforms need to be implemented to make the agency more accountable to taxpayers.
Here’s how you can help:
- Share this post with other residents.
- Comment on the blog.
- Attend the monthly Financial Advisory Board meetings in person.
- Council meetings are both remote and in-person. The City Council meeting will be on October 3. The schedule is here.
- Please write to the City Council requesting that they fill the vacancies.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 
There is a good deal of hyperbole in the latest installment. Regarding FAB, two people vacated the board. New applicants were sought in a variety of ways. A couple of people made application and at least one was interviewed on 19 Sep. (public record). Another is scheduled for an interview on 3 Oct. Following interviews, the city council takes action after these are placed on an agenda. After council action, the FAB will again have a full complement of members.
I fail to see how city leaders have held the FAB membership to three. People quit; there’s no contract for a volunteer job. City staff has actively sought replacements. All advisory boards have the same process: advertise for volunteers, get applications, interview, move to council, and all board members must undergo required training by City Clerk. The normal process is working at its normal pace.
Now, let’s go to the car allowance. Frankly, I doubt the city manager even cares as El Cerrito is a small city and her driving is minimal. But it’s still cash in the bank. This was part of a routine employment review involving two city council members on an ad hoc committee. My bet is that it was more their doing than the city manager’s idea. If our city manager was really interested in higher salary she would take a job in another jurisdiction. Fortunately, she’s sticking with the city that has been her employer for 22 years and where she is appreciated.
Why is that little car perk not on FAB’s agenda? Best to ask the city council. Likewise for the new trucks. When FAB is fully staffed maybe there will be more opportunity for the board to review such stuff.
Meanwhile, there’s a city to run. The City of El Cerrito is doing well.
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If the City Manager had declined the allowance but did not. Second, the city enforces rules when it’s convenient. Sometimes they require volunteers to have appeared at meetings, other times not. A current FAB member has served many years beyond the term limit. However, if it’s convenient they kick members off for violations of rules. The bigger pic is that the most significant expenditures do not appear on the agenda. But the CM routinely touts collaboration – which is misleading and deceptive.
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