In recent months, El Cerrito has ramped up efforts to move forward with a new library project, spending over $186,000 in legal fees and significant amounts on polling residents. The City has long neglected the library, offering limited hours and resources, so why the sudden urgency to push through a new, costly project?
The likely answer: they want the $300 “forever tax.”
Is the $300 “Forever Tax” the Real Goal?
While the City Manager may tout the library project as a community enhancement, it appears that the real motivation behind the push for a new library is financial. The $300 supplemental property tax is a permanent source of revenue for the City, and securing this tax increase could significantly bolster the City’s coffers. This “forever tax” will place the financial burden squarely on homeowners, providing the City with long-term funding without a clear plan for how those dollars will be spent beyond the initial project.
Instead of focusing on direct improvements to the library, such as extending hours or providing better services, the City seems to be prioritizing a large-scale development tied to a tax increase that will last indefinitely. The rush to make this project happen and the extensive use of polling and legal firms suggest that the City is more focused on securing this revenue stream than on addressing the actual needs of the community.
Polling and Legal Costs: Why Spend So Much?
The City’s investment in polling is an effort to shape public opinion and ensure the tax measure passes. They want to frame the conversation around the benefits of a new library without acknowledging the significant costs or providing residents with clear alternatives. Polling residents is not about listening to their concerns but rather about finding the messaging that will get the desired outcome: approving the tax increase.
At the same time, the legal expenses reflect the complexities of the broader development project, which goes beyond simply constructing a new library. The legal firms are helping the City navigate land use regulations, developer contracts, and tax arrangements. The use of firms like Meyers Nave—known for handling high-stakes legal challenges—signals that this is not just a library project, but a larger financial and real estate strategy.
One might ask: if the City is simply providing space for a new library, why need such extensive legal services? The answer lies in the broader development plan, which includes housing, adding another layer of complexity. The City’s involvement in this project is driving up legal fees and complicating what should be a more straightforward library improvement.
Why Residents Are Concerned
After years of neglect, the sudden focus on the library project raises red flags for residents. The $300 “forever tax” is a significant financial commitment, and many feel that they are not getting enough say in where the library will be located, how much it will cost, or how their tax dollars will be spent. Moreover, the City has not been transparent about the full scope of the project, particularly regarding the partnership with housing developers and the long-term financial implications for taxpayers.
The polling and legal maneuvers suggest that the City is more interested in securing the tax increase than in genuinely improving library services. Residents deserve a voice in these decisions, and they must demand transparency and accountability from their local government.
A Call for Transparency
The real question is: why has the City Manager prioritized the library now? It seems more likely that the goal is securing the permanent tax increase rather than providing meaningful improvements to the community’s library services. Residents deserve a clear explanation of how their tax dollars are being used and should be involved in deciding the future of this project.
Without a clear financial plan and without involving residents in meaningful ways, the future of the El Cerrito Library project remains shrouded in doubt. The City must open its decision-making process to public scrutiny, offering full transparency and enabling true resident participation.
Contact Your Officials
If you’re concerned about the future of El Cerrito’s library and the lack of transparency in the project, contact your City Manager and City Council members today. Demand clarity on the decisions being made with your tax dollars.
El Cerrito City Manager:
Karen Pinkos
Phone: (510) 215-4300
Email: citymanager@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
El Cerrito City Council:
- Mayor Tessa Rudnick
Phone: (510) 215-4300
Email: trudnick@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us - Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn Wysinger
Phone: (510) 215-4300
Email: cwysinger@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us - Councilmember Gabe Quinto
Phone: (510) 215-4300
Email: gquinto@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us - Councilmember Paul Fadelli
Phone: (510) 215-4300
Email: pfadelli@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us - Councilmember Lisa Motoyama
Phone: (510) 215-4300
Email: lmotoyama@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
The residents of El Cerrito deserve to have a clear say in this project. Your involvement is crucial to ensure transparency, accountability, and a library that truly serves the community’s needs. Make your voice heard by attending City Council meetings and demanding answers from those who control your tax dollars.
ElCerritoLibrary #TransparencyNow #CommunityMatters #TaxpayerDollars #LibraryFunding #ElCerritoCityCouncil #StopTheForeverTax #DemandAnswers #PublicInputMatters #LibraryForAll
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 
“Why the sudden urgency to push through a new, costly project?” could just as easily have been asked in 2016 when Measure B went on the ballot without adequate planning for the new library that the $30,000,000 bond aimed to fund.
There are plenty of question’s to ask about the current library project, but clearly the City has been pushing for a new library for years. Current focus on the library project doesn’t raise red flags for me; it’s consistent with what we’ve already experienced. Online discussions about Measure B woke me up to the fact that nearby cities had found ways to build their new libraries at a much lower cost. I remember being angry about polling designed to tempt Measure B voters with an array of new library features our small city could never afford. The City largely avoided investing in improving library services, and citizens had to fight the City Council for increased library hours after Measure B failed.
The City never stopped working on plans for the new library that El Cerrito needs. The problem is that it hasn’t taken a fiscally responsible approach to making that happen. The library is clearly being prioritized now because of the TOD opportunity; I don’t see anything nefarious in that. I don’t support the TOD plan or the forever tax, but neither one is inconsistent with long term city goals.
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The City is “pimping” the library as an ANCHOR TENANT and DESTINATION LOCATION in order to sell the speculative “downtown” project (it’s a shopping center for god’s sake) TOD. It is all very corrupt. The City has been “captured” by the developer and is self dealing in order to get the property tax passed and then they are on their way to ownership of a 240 unit apartment building. But another question is where does the CCC Library Commission play into this? The City doesn’t need a 20,000 sq ft library. Library statistics of all the libraries in CCC (except Richmond which has its own library system) shows EC has more books and circulation than our neighbors in San Pablo and Hercules with 20 & 17 thousand square foot libraries respectively. And the City has nothing to do with library operations. Property taxpayors support the Library Commission $40,000,000 operations budget with 1.25% of 1% of their property taxes. The City’s only role is to provide a location for the the library to operate and optionally contribute up to 56 hours of operation over and above the 40 hours paid for by property taxes. It makes me sick.
On Thu, Oct 31, 2024 at 8:05 AM El Cerrito Committee for Responsib
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“Why the sudden urgency to push through a new, costly project?” could just as easily have been asked in 2016 when Measure B went on the ballot without adequate planning for the new library that the $30,000,000 bond aimed to fund.
There are plenty of question’s to ask about the current library project, but clearly the City has been pushing for a new library for years. Current focus on the library project doesn’t raise red flags for me; it’s consistent with what we’ve already experienced. Online discussions about Measure B woke me up to the fact that nearby cities had found ways to build their new libraries at a much lower cost. I remember being angry about polling designed to tempt Measure B voters with an array of new library features our small city could never afford. The City largely avoided investing in improving library services, and citizens had to fight the City Council for increased library hours after Measure B failed.
The City never stopped working on plans for the new library that El Cerrito needs. The problem is that it hasn’t taken a fiscally responsible approach to making that happen.
The library is clearly being prioritized now because of the TOD opportunity; I don’t see anything nefarious in that. I don’t support the TOD library plan or the forever tax, but both are consistent with long term City goals.
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