A concerned citizen recently wrote to the El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government, outlining multiple areas where the city could achieve meaningful reductions—potentially saving nearly $1.4 million annually without compromising public services. Meanwhile, the city plans to spend over $1 million in unrestricted General Fund reserves to cover unbudgeted over-expenditures from the first part of fiscal year 2025. These expenses were not designated as priorities at the start of the year and include costs the city knew about well in advance or should have anticipated.
Fire Department: The Unnecessary Fourth Battalion Chief
For years, El Cerrito’s Fire Department operated effectively with three Battalion Chiefs (one per shift). Yet the city recently added a fourth Battalion Chief position outside of past practice, with no clear justification. The department is now managed by a Fire Chief and four Battalion Chiefs overseeing divisions like Fire Prevention and Training. The fully burdened cost of each Battalion Chief is substantial – one Battalion Chief’s total compensation exceeded $360,000 in 2022. Adding a fourth position at roughly $340,000 per year is a significant expense that could be better allocated elsewhere without affecting front-line fire services.
Police Department: Redundant Leadership Roles
El Cerrito’s Police Department currently has three lieutenants and one captain in its leadership ranks. For a department of its size, this structure is disproportionate to the number of officers and the actual operational needs. Each police lieutenant carries a high cost; for example, in 2023, one lieutenant’s total pay and benefits topped $428,000. A police captain, serving as an additional management layer, also draws a substantial salary (one past captain cost about $268,000 annually even a decade ago, likely more today). The concerned citizen suggests that trimming the hierarchy – reducing lieutenants from three to two and eliminating the captain position – would save around $525,000 per year without impacting public safety. Streamlining in this way would still leave ample supervision for officers while cutting excess overhead.
City Hall Administrative Staffing
Over the last five years, City Hall staffing has expanded beyond what a city of El Cerrito’s size truly needs. It appears the City Manager’s office has been padding the ranks. Notably, the city now employs both an Assistant City Manager and an Assistant to the City Manager – redundant executive support roles in a small city. El Cerrito’s Assistant City Manager position alone commands a six-figure salary (about $170,000 in 2021, with total compensation likely well above $250,000). The Assistant to the City Manager, essentially a chief aide, also earns a substantial salary (about $120,000 in 2020, plus benefits). Eliminating these two positions could save roughly $480,000 per year in salary and benefits. These cuts target administrative bloat at City Hall, not public-facing services.
City Manager’s Contract: Costly and Contradictory Perks
The concerned citizen also examined the City Manager’s contract and found some troubling details. In 2014, El Cerrito moved to eliminate city-paid pension contributions (EPMC) for employees as a cost-saving reform. In fact, the current City Manager herself, when she was Assistant City Manager, advocated for ending the practice of the City paying the employee’s share of pension contributions to save money. However, upon becoming City Manager, she negotiated this generous benefit back into her own contract. The contract stipulates that the city will report and pay the employee’s 9% CalPERS contribution as additional compensation – effectively restoring the perk of Employer-Paid Member Contributions and inflating her pensionable salary by 9%. This kind of “do as I say, not as I do” move runs counter to the city’s earlier stance on pension reform. Additionally, the City Manager receives a hefty monthly car allowance of $450, despite living just a few miles from City Hall. These perks add tens of thousands of dollars of extra cost each year.
A Clear Path to Fiscal Responsibility
The concerned citizen’s message to the committee aligns with the council member’s remarks: if the city wants to expand spending in some areas, it must find excess to cut elsewhere. The recommendations outlined – eliminating an unjustified Fire Department management post, trimming redundant police brass, cutting City Hall bloat, and reining in costly executive perks – could save nearly $1.4 million per year combined. Importantly, these are not cuts to essential services or public-facing programs; they target unnecessary administrative overhead that has crept up over time.
These common-sense reductions provide a clear path to put El Cerrito on better financial footing without compromising public safety or services. If the city’s leadership is serious about fiscal responsibility, such cost-saving opportunities should be front and center in the midyear budget discussion.
Contact Your City Officials
If you are concerned about El Cerrito’s budget priorities, email your City Council members and request that your correspondence be added to the official City Council packet.
📧 Mayor Carolyn Wysinger – cwysinger@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
📧 Mayor Pro Tem Gabe Quinto – gquinto@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
📧 Councilmember Lisa Motoyama – lmotoyama@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
📧 Councilmember Rebecca Saltzman – rsaltzman@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
📧 Councilmember William Ktsanes – wktsanes@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
📧 City Clerk Cheryl Morse – cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
Encourage transparency and accountability—let your voice be heard!
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El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 