El Cerrito’s Workplace Standards

El Cerrito’s Leadership Crisis: Culture, Costs, and Consequences

El Cerrito is in trouble. Services are declining, costs are rising, and the city’s workplace culture is not productive. This environment doesn’t just erode morale—it drives away top talent and makes recruitment nearly impossible. What’s left is mediocrity at best—and dysfunction at worst.

Residents Deserve Better

El Cerrito residents expect integrity, professionalism, and accountability from their city government. But poor personnel practices and the failure to develop basic workplace standards have enabled misconduct to thrive. Instead of implementing meaningful reform, city leaders continue to use taxpayer dollars to settle claims—repeating the cycle of mismanagement without consequence.

How El Cerrito Fails Its Workforce—and Its Residents

The City’s personnel policies fall far short of ethical standards. Key failures include:

• Disregard for Laws and Policies: Misconduct is overlooked. Favored employees are shielded while legitimate complaints go ignored.
• Vague and Inconsistent Standards: Policies are unclear, enabling selective enforcement and leaving employees vulnerable.
• No Protection for Whistleblowers: Those who speak up face retaliation with no meaningful safeguards.
• Lack of Leadership Accountability: Supervisors are rarely held responsible for misconduct.
• Misuse of Public Funds: Rather than fixing systemic problems, the City pours money into preventable legal settlements.

The Financial Toll on Taxpayers

El Cerrito’s failures have cost residents dearly. The city paid $544,000 to settle a single sexual harassment case. This year, it allocated another $60,000 for a new incident—alongside $261,623 shifted to Human Resources and $50,000 set aside for additional “settlements and judgments.” How many more payouts will residents be forced to fund before real change is made?

Unprofessional Conduct at the Top

City leadership sets the tone—and in El Cerrito, that tone is unacceptable. During a public city council meeting, the City Manager was overheard telling the Public Works Director to “shut the f*** up.” This vulgar outburst is more than offensive—it’s emblematic of a culture of disrespect that puts the city at risk of legal and reputational harm.

Mayor Carolyn Wysinger recently dismissed residents’ concerns about losing parking, calling them “privileged” and accusing them of misusing the “language of the oppressed.” In doing so, she played the race card—although Richmond Street is home to some of the city’s less affluent, working-class residents. She implied that because she had faced hardship, others should accept reduced access and convenience as well. But hardship doesn’t justify ignoring others’ needs.

This isn’t about privilege—it’s about reasonable expectations.

Homeowners- who pay more taxes than anyone, especially seniors, handicapped and should be able to park near their homes, carry groceries, and access nearby disabled parking. Ignoring those concerns isn’t leadership—it’s arrogance and an abuse of her power.

Both Mayor Wysinger and Councilmember Gabe Quinto are up for reelection in 2026. Residents deserve leaders who listen—not ones who push ideology at their expense.

We’ve seen this pattern before: rushed plans, questionable spending, and dismissive leadership. El Cerrito can’t afford more of the same, especially with ongoing budget issues.

Ethical Concerns and Election Influence

Just days before the November 2022 election, the City hosted a “Lunch with the Mayor and City Manager.” Mayor Gabe Quinto, whose seat was on the ballot, participated in the event alongside City Manager Karen Pinkos. Many residents questioned the timing and propriety, citing potential violations of the California Political Reform Act and the ICMA Code of Ethics, which emphasize impartiality and avoidance of conflicts of interest.

A Broken Culture: Plums and Pills

There’s a saying: some workplaces are plums—healthy and high-functioning. Others are pills—toxic and dysfunctional. Even the most capable leaders can’t thrive in systems designed to fail. Culture always outweighs strategy. El Cerrito’s culture must be overhauled if it hopes to attract and retain the talent needed to serve its residents.

Take Action: Demand Accountability

El Cerrito residents must stop funding systemic dysfunction. Contact the City Council and demand immediate reforms. Ask that your message be included in the next council meeting packet:

• 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)
• City Clerk – cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us

What Needs to Change

To restore trust and protect both employees and taxpayers, El Cerrito must:

➡️ Establish Clear Standards – Define expectations for workplace behavior and enforce them for all employees, including leadership.
➡️ Ensure Consistent Enforcement – Eliminate favoritism and apply rules fairly and uniformly.
➡️ Implement Independent Oversight – Review complaints through an impartial process and publicly report settlement spending.

A city’s credibility is defined by how it responds to misconduct. El Cerrito has failed this test. It’s time for residents to demand better—before more taxpayer dollars are wasted and more harm is done.