Library Plan Serves Developers, Not Residents

Across El Cerrito, the agents of the City are holding meetings to promote its so-called “Transit-Oriented Development Library” project. They’re also going door to door promoting this initiative.

On the surface, it sounds like progress—finally replacing the undersized, aging library. But residents should look more closely at what’s being pitched. This is not a true community library project. It’s a “triple cost” scheme where taxpayers pay to build it, pay to rent it, and then keep paying to maintain it—all while developers and the City’s coffers benefit most.

The Reality Behind the Project

The proposed library isn’t a standalone public building. It’s the first floor of a six-story private apartment development. Homeowners would finance the construction of that floor—estimated at $21 million or more, and almost certainly higher—through a secured parcel tax. But here’s the catch: El Cerrito will not even own the space. The City will be a renter, with the Contra Costa County (CCC) Library system leasing the library back from the developer.

And it doesn’t stop there. Beyond paying to build and then paying to rent, taxpayers will also be responsible for ongoing maintenance and operating expenses inside a private development. That means homeowners and renters alike will be subsidizing not only the cost of construction but also the ongoing bills to keep someone else’s property running.

This structure creates serious problems:

Financial burden: With 30 years of interest and financing costs, the true price tag could balloon to $100 million or more. No City ownership: Residents pay to build it, but the City only rents it back—essentially paying twice. Ongoing obligations: Taxpayers will also foot the bill for maintenance, utilities, and operations—expenses that never go away. Minimal library benefit: There are no commitments to more books, better programs, or expanded services—just more square footage and more computers. Developer windfall: The developer gets a publicly funded, revenue-generating tenant built to order, with residents carrying the risk.

And renters shouldn’t think they’re immune. Parcel taxes don’t just hit homeowners—they hit renters too, because landlords pass those costs down in higher rents. This plan means everyone pays more for a library space the City doesn’t even own.

The Wrong Location

Even if El Cerrito needs a new library—and it does—the proposed location is wrong. Libraries should be safe, welcoming, and community-centered. They do not belong on the ground floor of a private apartment complex at a major transit hub, with hundreds of residents coming and going through the same entrance.

Decades ago, City leaders identified the best location for a library: adjacent to the city’s largest and oldest elementary school, where families already gather and children could easily access resources. Instead, the City is pursuing a developer-driven deal at the Plaza station, a site far better suited for affordable housing, not a library.

El Cerrito’s proposed library tax has NO real senior exemption. What’s billed as relief is just a reimbursement program with income limits, paperwork, and annual re-application. Seniors must still pay upfront—and heirs inherit the parcel tax too. Meanwhile, the City still hasn’t created a working application process for past measures. Don’t be fooled.

What We Really Need

Yes, El Cerrito deserves a modern library. But it should be built as a true civic project—funded responsibly, owned by the public, and designed for community use. A parcel tax dedicated to a standalone library would be far more transparent and sustainable.

The Bottom Line

Until then, residents should see these pro-library meetings for what they are: sales pitches for a project that benefits developers and City coffers while putting homeowners and renters on the hook for construction, rent, and never-ending operating expenses. It’s a bad deal that privatizes the gain, socializes the risk, and jeopardizes El Cerrito’s financial future.

Don’t sign the petition for the library. It’s circulating now. Election time vote no!