Before residents are asked to sign anything, they deserve the full story.
The City of El Cerrito is facing another push for a new tax—this time for a library at the Plaza BART station. But before rushing into another costly project with no clear financial plan, it’s important to remember how we got here—and who helped lead us into the current mess.
Greg Lyman, the current Chair of the Committee for a Plaza Station Library, isn’t just a library advocate. As a former City Councilmember and Mayor, Lyman was a key figure during the years when El Cerrito’s finances spiraled out of control. Under his leadership, the city overspent, underfunded pensions, depleted reserves, ignored warnings, and ultimately landed on the California State Auditor’s “high-risk” list for mismanagement.
Now, the same figure who helped damage El Cerrito’s fiscal standing is back, leading a strategy to raise taxes once again—this time without fully disclosing the true costs to residents.
Instead of presenting a detailed budget or a realistic funding plan, Lyman and his group are pushing to collect signatures for a “citizen’s initiative” that would allow them to pass new taxes with only a simple majority—just 50% of voters plus one vote—rather than the traditional two-thirds required for special taxes.
In other words, they want residents to write a blank check based on vague promises, not verifiable facts.
Councilmember William Ktsanes, speaking candidly at a recent event, called the strategy “smart” because it bypasses the higher accountability threshold. But “smart” for insiders isn’t the same as responsible leadership for the public.
Before signing anything, residents deserve to understand all significant information, including:
- The total project cost
- How it will be funded and maintained long-term
- What city services might be cut to pay for it
- Why the same individuals who helped drive the city into financial distress should now be trusted with a major financial commitment.
El Cerrito cannot afford another financial disaster disguised as progress. We must demand transparency, responsible planning, and leadership that puts residents first—not another rushed campaign driven by those who ignored fiscal responsibility when it mattered most.
If you have concerns or questions, reach out directly to your City Council:
- Mayor Carolyn Wysinger
📧 cwysinger@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
🗓 Term Ends: 2026 - Mayor Pro Tem Gabe Quinto
📧 gquinto@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
🗓 Term Ends: 2026 - Councilmember Lisa Motoyama
📧 lmotoyama@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
🗓 Term Ends: 2028 - Councilmember Rebecca Saltzman
📧 rsaltzman@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
🗓 Term Ends: 2028 - Councilmember William Ktsanes
📧 wktsanes@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
🗓 Term Ends: 2028
You have a voice. Insist on full disclosure before signing away your future.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 
Anything Greg Lyman is involved in is an immediate enormous red flag to me. I got to know him pretty well when he was a City Council member. He is dishonest, arrogant, manipulative. He thinks that he knows vastly more than he actually does. He is disrespectful of other people’s opinions. He bears at least 50% of the responsibility for having dragged El Cerrito to the brink of bankruptcy. He has already been deeply involved in promoting the plaza station library and has spread lies and disinformation at every turn.
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ok the library will be funded 100% entirely with property tax assessment the parcel taxpayers are burdened with 100% of the cost of construction AND maintenance (of what specific improvements and who owns them?-spoiler alert the City of El Cerrito will own the first floor of the 6 story apartment building as a condominium. Yes EC property tax payers will be giving the City of El Cerrito a new library in a 6 story apartment building constructed as standard commercial retail construction with all the issues and problems of condominium ownership and location across from a mass transportation hub. How inspiring!). The City already has the EC Municipal Finance Authority in force. Off to the races unless of course the residents of EC fight the legality of the authority to have a citizens initiative on the ballot that contradicts State law (Prop 39?) by the time EC City Council is done with this all the CalPers unfunded liability will likely ballooned to $120,000,000 with all the FTE required to manage the new City Community Center called the library. I thought we already had El Cerrito Community Center on Moser?
On Tue, Apr 29, 2025 at 11:46â¯AM El Cerrito Committee for Responsib
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