This holiday season, El Cerrito residents will find city offices closed from Friday, December 20, 2024, through Friday, January 3, 2025. While City Hall resumes regular business hours on Monday, January 6, 2025, the question remains: Why does a small city like El Cerrito shut down entirely for two weeks, leaving no coverage for public services?
A Big City Paycheck for Small City Oversight
El Cerrito’s City Manager is paid on a scale comparable to leaders of much larger municipalities—cities with far greater populations, budgets, and responsibilities. Yet, those larger cities typically manage to remain operational during the holidays. They implement staggered schedules or limited staffing to ensure the public’s needs are met. El Cerrito, on the other hand, appears to take a different approach, with a full closure that halts city services entirely.
While residents wait for services to resume, city management continues to receive full compensation. This includes the city manager’s salary, which is notably high relative to the city’s size and scope. The optics of such compensation, paired with a complete shutdown, leave many questioning whether city leadership is truly aligned with the needs of its taxpayers.
No Coverage, No Service
Unlike El Cerrito, most municipalities—large and small—maintain at least minimal coverage during the holidays. In many cities, management ranks are structured so that everyone doesn’t take time off at the same time. Instead, time off is staggered, ensuring that public services remain accessible even during holiday breaks.
This standard practice reflects a commitment to serving the community year-round, recognizing that emergencies, maintenance issues, and other resident needs don’t pause for the holidays. Unfortunately, El Cerrito residents are left without this critical safety net, as the city opts for a complete two-week hiatus.
Residents Deserve Better
El Cerrito’s decision to close entirely for two weeks raises important questions about its priorities:
• Why are public services unavailable for an extended period when taxpayers continue to fund them?
• Why is staggered scheduling, a common practice in other municipalities, not implemented here?
• How does the city justify paying its leadership at big-city levels while delivering small-city service?
As we head into the new year, it’s time to demand better from El Cerrito’s leadership. A small city with a big paycheck for management should strive to deliver big-city standards of accessibility and service.
Let’s push for a city government that works for its residents, not just its management team. Staggered schedules and transparent leadership aren’t just options—they’re necessities for a city that values its community.
#ElCerritoAccountability
#BigPaySmallService
#CityManagerTransparency
#HolidayCoverageMatters
#ResidentFirstLeadership
#StaggeredSchedulingNow
#ElCerritoConcerns
#TaxpayerPriorities
#AccessibleCityServices
#BigCityPaySmallCityResults
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 