El Cerrito’s Library Plan: Vague Before the Vote, Decided After

One of the most troubling patterns in El Cerrito’s governance is how little concrete information is shared before voters are asked to approve new taxes — only for detailed plans to surface after the initiative passes, when residents no longer have meaningful leverage. The proposed library tax measure is a prime example.

Parking Details: Selective, Incomplete, and After-the-Fact

Former Mayor Greg Lyman recently referenced parking arrangements for a potential new library — noting that the current library has only 12 parking spaces, including two handicap spaces tucked behind the building. He also mentioned that on nights, weekends, and holidays, school parking lots are made available to library patrons, with street parking filling in the gaps during regular hours.
For the new library proposal, City staff indicated that 160 BART parking spaces would be available for library events on nights, weekends, and holidays. Beyond that, library visitors would again rely primarily on street parking in residential neighborhoods, some of which may be converted to handicap parking and marked for two-hour free use.
What Lyman didn’t say: there is still no parking map, no parking study, no formal analysis, and no site plan that explains how this would actually work day-to-day. The City hasn’t produced any comprehensive parking or circulation plan for voters to review.

Yes, There Was a Survey — But It Was Weaponized, Not Used to Inform

Supporters of the measure claim there’s “no need for detailed information until after the tax passes.” Yet the City commissioned a survey and published the results, making them public. Instead of using the study to engage residents in shaping a transparent, cost-conscious plan, Greg Lyman selectively cited favorable information, cherry-picking data points to support advocacy talking points.

The survey could have been used to surface tradeoffs, explore site options, or identify parking challenges. Instead, voters are being handed soundbites, not substance.

“Trust Us — Details Will Come After You Vote”

Proponents have said, essentially:

“Until the tax measure passes, there is no need for the detailed information you seek.”
Only after the vote, they say, will the City and Contra Costa County Library provide detailed parking and siting information so that elected officials can make a decision on where to build. In other words: approve the tax first, then we’ll tell you what you’re getting.
This is backward. Voters are being asked to approve a permanent property tax without knowing:

• Where the library will be located
• How much it will cost to build
• How much it will cost to operate and maintain
• What parking or traffic impacts will be
• Whether alternative sites — like the Old Marshalls Store — could deliver a library more quickly and at a fraction of the cost

A Blank Check for City Hall

The measure doesn’t specify a library location by design. Once it passes, planning begins, and site selection, design, lease negotiations, and operating decisions will be made by the City of El Cerrito and Contra Costa County Library — not the voters paying the bill.
As one concerned resident asked:

“Why would anybody support a taxpayer-funded ballot measure as nebulous as the Citizens Ballot measure when the total cost of building and operating and maintaining a library building isn’t known or where it would be located?”

It’s a fair question. The Old Marshalls Store, for example, already exists, has abundant parking, and could be converted for library use at far lower cost — potentially avoiding new taxes altogether. But practical, cost-conscious alternatives like this aren’t being promoted.

Bottom Line

This isn’t about community-driven planning. It’s about securing a blank check and then moving forward with whatever plan City Hall and the County wanted all along.
Vote NO on this measure — not because you oppose libraries, but because you support transparency, fiscal responsibility, and meaningful public involvement before the tax is approved, not after.

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📌 Fact Box: What El Cerrito Isn’t Telling You Up Front

Parking Today

• Current library has 12 parking spaces, including 2 handicap spaces, behind the building.
• Additional parking relies on street parking in a residential neighborhood.
• School lots are only available nights, weekends, and holidays.

Parking Promises for the New Library

• 160 BART parking spaces may be available for library events nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Daytime parking will primarily be on-street, with some spaces converted to handicap and others limited to two-hour free parking.
• No parking map, study, or traffic analysis has been published.

Survey Reality

• The City did conduct a survey and made the details public.
• Instead of using it to inform residents, advocates cherry-picked data to support their arguments.
• No comprehensive analysis of costs, alternatives, or site impacts was shared with voters.

Key Quote from Proponents

“Until the tax measure passes, there is no need for the detailed information you seek.”

What’s Missing Before the Vote

• 📍 Library location
• 💰 Total construction cost
• 🧾 Operating and maintenance costs
• 🚗 Traffic and parking impacts
• 🏢 Consideration of lower-cost alternatives like the Old Marshalls Store

Bottom Line:
📝 Voters are being asked to approve a permanent property tax without critical details. Once the measure passes, the City and County make the decisions — not the voters.

This article is based on public information, statements by Greg Lyman, City staff comments, and documentation shared by concerned citizens seeking transparency in El Cerrito’s library planning process.