Correction: Clarifying Our Statement About the Library Tax Initiative

One of our readers questioned our earlier statement that the proposed ballot measure does not mention the word “library.” After re-reviewing the filed Notice of Intent and ballot materials, we confirm that the measure does reference funding for a library. Our prior statement was incorrect.

We are issuing this correction because it is the right thing to do. Accuracy matters—especially when discussing long-term taxes that will affect every property owner in El Cerrito.

We also call on the City of El Cerrito to correct its own public statements. For months, City representatives have insisted they are “not involved” in this initiative while simultaneously promoting a library tax at public meetings and funding surveys related to the library. These surveys are more about efficacy, and the city has already loaned the developer large sums of taxpayers’ money.

Residents deserve complete transparency, not selective information.

Why We Still Oppose the Library Tax Initiative

Even with the word “library” included in the text, the larger concerns remain, including:

1. Once the tax is approved, the funds will flow into the General Fund.

El Cerrito has a long pattern of presenting taxes as dedicated to a purpose—only for the revenue to be deposited into the General Fund without meaningful tracking or oversight. This has occurred with the Real Property Transfer Tax, the Utility Users Tax, the Pool Tax, and the 2008 Streets Tax. Promises of reviews, audits, and accountability have repeatedly gone unfulfilled.
On paper, the library initiative states the funds are for a library. In practice, the City’s history shows that those funds will not be segregated, audited, or protected.

2. The City is only at “Stage 1” of its capital project pipeline—but the library is Stage 6.

Under the City’s own adopted roadmap, a new library is far down the priority list. If the tax passes in June, property owners will begin paying in July—immediately and indefinitely—regardless of whether the library moves forward, stalls for years, or is never built. Taxation starts on Day 1. The project is years from readiness.

Our Commitment to Accuracy

We corrected this because facts and transparency matter. We appreciate the reader who raised the question—it made this review possible. Residents deserve honesty, clarity, and accountability from every source, including us.