This blog has been consistently focused on the critical aspects of governance, accountability, and transparency within El Cerrito’s city administration. The Chief Executive Officer, and City Manager, carries the responsibility for overseeing both the operational and financial performance of El Cerrito.
It is essential to note that the City Manager is accountable to the City Council. Unfortunately, despite concerns about the City Manager’s subpar performance, the City Council has not acted in the community’s best interest. Their responsibilities should extend beyond mere photo opportunities, attending business openings, adopting proclamations, taxpayer funded travel and promoting the city. The Council’s primary duty is to safeguard the community’s well-being, and regrettably, they have not fulfilled this duty adequately.
In a state audit conducted in 2021, El Cerrito’s financial practices were found to be severely deficient, placing the city perilously close to financial collapse. This audit ranked El Cerrito among the ten most mismanaged cities in the region. Unfortunately, the situation has not shown significant improvement, as the city now ranks 13th worst out of over four hundred California cities. Surprisingly, no substantial actions have been taken by the City Council in response to these alarming findings.
Before Karen Pinkos assumed the role of City Manager, El Cerrito enjoyed the prestigious A- bond rating. However, shortly after her tenure began in 2018, the city’s bond rating plummeted to BBB-, just one step above junk bond status. The bond rating has only inched up one notch in over two years. Yet, the City Council did nothing.
Costly Sexual Harassment Settlement: Despite facing financial distress and bankruptcy threats, El Cerrito paid out over half a million dollars for a settlement, and the city has not implemented policies to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. Yet, the City Council did nothing and guess what? Another staff member was mistreated by a supervising officer.
El Cerrito’s failure to align pension payments with its unfunded liability has resulted in an enormous $85 million pension liability. Although the city allocated $1 million for the Section 115 trust, the city is not legally obligated to use these funds to reduce the unfunded liability. This places the city’s financial future at risk, potentially leading to state recommendations for bankruptcy. Yet, the City Council did nothing except watch the UAL grow and grow and grow.
Lack of Accountability in Leadership: The absence of performance standards for city leadership, including the City Manager, allows for a range of behavior without consequences and zero performance standards. This lack of accountability has serious repercussions, as evidenced by the city’s lackluster performance and by a recent incident where the City Manager used inappropriate language and told the Director of Public Works to be silent. Such mismanagement not only affects staff well-being but also exposes the city to potential legal actions by its employees. Yet, the City Council did nothing and said nothing.
The City Manager and the Mayor set the agenda of Council Meetings. The practice of including Financial Reports in the City Council packet, with no mention of the Financial Reports on the agenda bypasses opportunity for meaningful discussion about the City’s budget performance. Only those diligent citizens who read all 167 pages of the October 17th packet can locate the few pages of financial statements hidden within.
Moreover, the City Manager often presents items for FAB and City Council approval at the last minute, leaving no room for meaningful changes. This rushed decision-making has resulted in ill-advised choices that have pushed the city to the brink of bankruptcy. Yet, the City Council did nothing.
All these issues have arisen during the tenure of a highly compensated City Manager. Any one of these infractions should raise significant concern, yet the City Council has failed to address these matters adequately.
El Cerrito’s financial and operational management is facing dire challenges, stemming from a lack of governance, transparency, accountability, and sound decision-making. It is imperative for the City Council to address these concerns promptly to prevent further financial deterioration and restore the city’s fiscal health and the well-being of its staff and community.
Your Thoughts? What are your experiences with city services in El Cerrito? Do you see similar issues, or do you have a different perspective? Share your stories and suggestions for how our city can improve. Let’s start a conversation for meaningful change.
Here is how you can help:
- Share this post with other residents.
- Comment on the post
- Attend the monthly Financial Advisory Board meetings in person.
- Post on Next Door
- Voice your concerns with the Council.
- Council meetings are remote and in-person, but public comment is now limited to in-person attendees.
If you want to contact City Council Members or the City Managers, all their emails are below:
- Karen Pinkos-City Manager kpinkos@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Gabe Quinto gquinto@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Carolyn Wysinger cywysinger@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Tessa Rudnick trudnick@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Mayor Lisa Motoyama lmotoyama@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
- Councilperson Paul Fadelli pfadelli@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 