Most working people know what a standard full-time schedule looks like: 40 hours a week—often more. That’s the reality for residents across El Cerrito who juggle jobs, commutes, family responsibilities, and rising costs of living. Yet when it comes to City Hall, the schedule looks very different.
According to the posted hours, El Cerrito City Hall operates just 37.5 hours a week. Offices close every other Friday, and the remaining weekdays follow reduced schedules compared to what residents work themselves. That’s 2.5 hours less per week per employee, or 6.25% fewer hours than a standard full-time schedule.
At the city’s current payroll levels—over $53 million per year, according to the latest Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR)—that reduction equates to roughly $3.2 million in lost productivity annually. In other words, taxpayers are paying for nearly a full week of work every month that isn’t being performed.
This isn’t just a matter of convenience—it’s a reflection of a deeper problem in how the city manages its operations, its finances, and ultimately, its priorities.
While City Hall’s doors are closing early, the city’s payroll and pension costs keep climbing. El Cerrito’s annual pension obligation sits around $8.5 million per year, and the number of employees per resident is among the highest compared to neighboring cities like Albany, San Pablo, and Hercules. That inflated headcount translates into higher payroll, more benefit costs, and growing long-term liabilities—all of which strain the budget.
Compare that to Albany, where employees only receive overtime after working more than 40 hours a week, not 37.5. Albany operates more efficiently—with a smaller workforce, lower payroll costs, and fewer service complaints or public safety concerns. Their crime rate is lower, and their budget more closely aligns with performance and accountability.
Meanwhile, in El Cerrito, residents are seeing reduced public services, rising property crimes, and shrinking reserves. The city continues to draw from its unrestricted General Fund balance, eroding financial stability and leaving fewer resources to invest in long-term priorities like public safety, infrastructure, and recreation.
El Cerrito residents deserve a city government that mirrors their own work ethic: disciplined, transparent, and committed to getting results. Aligning City Hall’s hours, staffing, and financial discipline with the standards of the people it serves isn’t too much to ask—it’s the least the community should expect.
Call to Action:
It’s time to elect leaders who will restore fiscal responsibility, strengthen accountability, and ensure that El Cerrito’s resources serve the public—not bureaucracy. Residents deserve leadership that works as hard as they do.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 