The following blog was heavily influenced by a detailed social media post written by a longtime El Cerrito resident.
The El Cerrito City Council’s library campaign to move the historic library from a location that the City already owns—and that sits adjacent to El Cerrito’s largest and oldest elementary school—is pathetic. They’re acting like the President of the United States: unwilling to admit anything or tell residents the truth.
They have no alternative plan to finance the library construction other than a parcel tax. That’s it. Let’s be honest: there is no other option. Property taxpayers will be left holding the bag, covering the principal and interest payments on $1.6 million in construction costs for a new library building. The City has no budget for library construction and debt service. It cannot borrow due to its weak financial condition. It can barely afford to pay for its bloated budget as it is!
So let’s ask the obvious: what other funding sources exist, and who would borrow the money and have the ability to service that debt? No one. Which is why rebuilding the library at its current location is the only viable alternative. Any other claim is a diversionary tactic.
Developer Capture and Self-Dealing
The City has been captured—plain and simple—by a Developer who desperately needs El Cerrito residents to contribute $21 million to make their housing project viable. This is not about libraries; it’s about using the library as a financial lever.
Two years ago, the City gave land and made a loan to this same Developer. That’s called self-dealing. And it should have nothing—nothing—to do with the library. Let the City and Developer build housing if that’s what they want to do. But leave the library out of it.
So why did the City pay a construction manager $45,000 to study tenant improvements at a location where there’s no financing in place? Because the Council is negotiating for the Developer—not for residents. That’s a breach of trust and a failure of fiduciary duty.
An Illogical and Uninspired Location
The plan calls for a 20,000 sq ft library (coincidentally the same footprint as the first floor of the Developer’s six-story, 69-unit building) located at a major transportation hub where 760 new apartment units are already planned—with no parking.
Who wants a public library in the dingy first floor of a mixed-use building with constant foot traffic, noise, and density? I’d much rather see a beautiful, 12,000 sq ft, two-story glass-and-steel library, flooded with light, with high ceilings and sweeping views of the hills and Bay. That is a library.
We don’t need more “community space.” We drive by the El Cerrito Community Center on Moeser Lane and hardly see activity. It’s already next to the pool, the park, and the performing arts theater. We are not lacking for community space—we are lacking vision.
Reasonable, Available Alternatives
Contra Costa County gave Pleasant Hill $1.1 million to temporarily relocate their library during construction. El Cerrito has multiple recently vacated retail sites that could serve as temporary library space—and many of those property owners would likely welcome a civic tenant, given the retail market’s outlook.
But the City isn’t interested in reasonable alternatives. They’ve committed to a developer-driven plan and are now trying to sell us on a library that no longer feels public, inspired, or worthy of the community it serves.
Say No to the Parcel Tax. Say No to the TOD Library Plan.
This is your money. You should have a say in how it’s invested. Say NO to a Barnes & Noble-style library buried in a private development. Say NO to new community space we don’t need. Say YES to an architecturally significant library on public land that already belongs to us.
And until the City Council shows us all the cards—a full financial plan, transparent justification for the chosen location, and an honest comparison with the current site—I’m voting NO on any library parcel tax.
I urge you to do the same.
Let your Councilmembers know you expect real leadership—not developer loyalty:
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
📧 cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
Make them show their cards—because right now, they have nothing.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 