On July 15, 2025, the El Cerrito City Council voted to proceed with a controversial redesign of Richmond Street, which eliminates nearly two-thirds of on-street parking. Despite passionate opposition from many residents, the revised plan is moving forward with little interest in compromise from city leadership.
Residents who live on Richmond Street say they had little opportunity for meaningful input—only to learn, after the fact, that a major change was coming. Some pleaded with the council to consider a less extreme approach, such as removing parking on only one side of the street to preserve at least half the spaces. They also pointed to safety data: just one injury accident has been reported on this eight-block stretch in the past decade—none involving bicycles.
Others raised serious concerns about accessibility. The revised plan shifts disabled parking to side streets, an unnecessary hardship for seniors and residents with mobility challenges.
Proponents Cite Sustainability, Critics See Overreach
Bike lane supporters argue that El Cerrito must invest in infrastructure to reduce car use and support more cycling. They envision a network that makes biking safer and more appealing, especially for faster-moving e-bikes, which they say aren’t suitable for the nearby Ohlone Greenway.
But opponents ask: why push such an aggressive plan where there is no demonstrated safety issue—especially when the tradeoff means losing neighborhood access, inconveniencing seniors, and reducing quality of life?
Ktsanes Offers a Compromise—The Council Refuses
In an effort to find middle ground, Councilmember William Ktsanes offered a motion to have staff explore reasonable alternatives, including:
Options that minimize parking loss. A version that preserves at least 50% of the parking. An East Side Bicycle Boulevard alternative is already included in the city’s own transportation plan. A public hearing to discuss all options side-by-side
It was a practical proposal that acknowledged the complexity of the issue and the concerns of both sides.
Not one council member seconded it.
Mayor Dismisses Resident Concerns as “Privilege”
The conversation veered away from listening to a dismissive and personal tone. Councilmember Lisa Motoyama dismissed the city’s own 2016 plan, arguing instead that current “best practices” should take precedence. She claimed that if a better idea existed, the public works director would have taken it into account. This statement elicited audible coughs and chuckles from the crowd.
Mayor Carolyn Wysinger went further—attacking residents who voiced concerns about losing parking. She labeled them “privileged” and accused them of “appropriating the language of the oppressed.” Her remarks suggested that because she had experienced hardship, others should endure the loss of convenience and accessibility. But the rest of us know that it’s not okay to inflict harm on others simply because she has endured hardship.
Let’s be clear: This isn’t about privilege. It’s about reasonable expectations. Residents, particularly long-standing elderly homeowners, should be able to carry groceries from their cars, park near their homes, and access safe, nearby disabled parking. Dismissing those concerns outright is not leadership—it’s arrogance.
The Clock Is Ticking—and So Is the Public’s Patience
The mayor’s term doesn’t end until 2026, but the decisions made now will shape El Cerrito’s future for decades. Gabe Quinto is also up for reelection next year. The residents of this city deserve leaders who respect their voices—not just follow a checklist of ideological goals.
We’ve seen this before: plans that don’t consider those most negatively impacted, questionable spending, and leadership unwilling to listen. El Cerrito can’t afford more decisions like this—especially with budget challenges still looming.
📣 It’s time to pay attention, get engaged, and prepare to vote.
If this council won’t listen now, we must be ready to elect people who will. Start asking tough questions. Show up to meetings. And come November 2026, vote for leadership that values public input, fiscal discipline, and common-sense solutions.
Choose wisely. El Cerrito deserves better.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 
It’s difficult to believe that the mayor played her race card, in her reference to the appropriation of the “language of the oppressed” accusing the hoe owners on Richmond as the oppressor (privileged) class. Richmond Ave is perhaps the least expensive area in El Cerrito, although Liberty Street where I lived for 7 years before moving up the hill. It’s always been a working class area; i.e., carpenters, postmen, school teachers, bus drivers, and an entry level for the working poor to buy their first (and often) only home.
Yes, the ordinance will negatively affect these residents. That’s the con, upon which I don’t need to elaborate.
What are the real pros besides sticking it to the “privileged” residents on Richmond St? The City council can congratulate themselves that they have saved the environment and the residents up the hill can signal virtue that they live in a city that is progressive in that they are reducing fossil fuel GHGs.
However there are many alternative routes that bicyclists can and do take. Some adherents of bike lanes would of course prefer to ban autos completely simply because they don’t own one. That aloof attitude of disdain toward the elderly, the disabled, the poor, and non-bike riders IS the language of the oppressor. If ya’ll don’t know yet, the real oppressors (investment real estate corporations) plan on medium and high rise development throughout El Cerrito, as a way to sell the idea to the oppressed who are told that automobiles are evil. good luck riding your bikes in the pouring rain or coming home late at night from a dinner party or work.
Bikers have gotten around El Cerrito safely since before Ohlone walk way. We don’t need more real estate predators in El Cerrito.
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Agreed
We would like to paraphrase your comments if it’s okay We promise not to specifically name you unless you’d prefer that we do
Is that okay?
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eccrg,
By paraphrase do you mean censor and edit? What is your reasoning regarding paraphrasing? Are you objecting to some content? What content?
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Prayer dance
We absolutely loved your perspective and content. We just don’t like putting the public on the spot.
EC and their cronies are relentless. They have publicly attacked members of the public who do not agree with them so we don’t name names.
The post is up now – and if you don’t like the spin, we will trash it
That said, have you considered running for office?
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I hope it’s okay to present another take on the mayors comments
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Thanks for the feedback. It’s noticeable that the “significant” GHG emitters are the military, industry, the oil companies, refineries, Big Ag Pharming (excuse the pun), and the sad lack of long and medium range affordable, efficient, and clean mass transportation. But one must ask whydoes the public ignore this, while happily putting the onus on poor working class people, elderly people, and disabled on Richmond St.?
If we are living in a democracy (doubtful) then each citizen is RESPONSIBLE for their INFORMED consent or opposition. The RIGHT to oppose is a hallmark of a democracy.
This City Council meeting was like a microcosm of what is wrong with US socio-economic eco-politics. Here you have an obvious clash between those convinced by the Mainstream Corporate Media that they need to sacrifice their individual rights like parking in front of their own homes, because the super-rich and corporations need tax breaks necessitating little or nothing left over for infrastructure building, mass transportation, or beating swords into ploughshares.
Both political parties are obviously not taking the GHG problem seriously despite the rhetoric and costly Band-Aids. Aware residents know that the EC Democratic Club is influenced by outside money and has been riding roughshod over the City Council/City Manager by fostering their shenanigans for far too long. Bike lanes on Richmond is merely a distraction to the aforementioned culprits. Even in a micro-level, backing out of a driveway is far more dangerous than pulling forward in traffic after being parked on the street.
Safety concerns pertaining to bicycle accidents have not been demonstrated, but rather projected. Liberty St. is a one way street that is far less busy. It slower traffic makes it safer. I biked such streets with no problems when I was younger, but I find it impossible to bike now. There are other alternatives. The City Council and advocates for the Richmond St. parking restrictions seem to believe that an 80 year old can bicycle to Monterey Market in Berkeley to shop and carry their groceries home. They seem to be unable to imagine short driveways where the husband and wife have their own cars and perhaps a child or two. They seem to not have any empathy other than an imaginary world where they can delude themselves that EC has done something significant to reduce GHG. Harsh words?
To be honest and not ideologically aligned with the EC Democratic Club and special self-interest groups running roughshod over the city’s astonishing amount of outsourcing and consulting fees might be easily labelled as a MAGA adherent, ha ha. That’s all they know, a corrupt two party system. I celebrate Councilmember Ktsanes, just because he has the courage to express his own opinions in the face of opposition, but I do not claim to speak for him, nor do I expect that he will agree with me.
I moved to EC in 1976 and have seen many unfortunate climate changes and alongside that a deterioration in our democratic system. Thanks for the nomination, but at my age I do not wish to go through elective office and be forced too deal with rampant dishonesty and corruption. The lack of genuine vision is appalling.
High speed rail, peace dividend, infrastructure rebuilding, . . . anyone?
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We get a considerable amount of our material from the public. Please keep commenting We appreciate your stance on running for office. We need to get behind level headed fresh faces over the next year.
All the best to you Thank you again for your thoughtful commentary
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