By a Concerned El Cerrito Resident
El Cerrito’s library matters. That is not in dispute.
What is in dispute is whether residents are being given the full context before being asked to approve a long-term tax for a dramatically expanded library facility tied to a complex and uncertain development plan.
A recent article by Bay Area News Group reporter Katie Lauer describes El Cerrito’s library as bustling, overflowing, and seismically unsafe — a compelling narrative that strongly implies urgency and inevitability. It is an engaging story. It is also incomplete.
Library Usage Is Declining — Including in the Bay Area
Across California, the Bay Area, and Contra Costa County, traditional library usage has been declining for years. This is not conjecture; it is documented in annual county library reports and statewide data.
Physical circulation is down. In-person visits are flat or declining. Digital usage continues to rise — e-books, audiobooks, databases, and remote services now account for a growing share of library engagement.
Contra Costa County Library, which operates El Cerrito’s branch as part of a 26-library regional system, follows this same pattern. Usage has not disappeared — but it has shifted.
Yet readers would not know this from the article. Instead, crowded story times and peak-hour activity are presented as proof that El Cerrito needs three times the space, rather than prompting a more relevant question: what kind of space does a modern library actually need in 2026 and beyond?
Crowded Does Not Mean Undersized
The El Cerrito library is capped at 46 hours per week because of its size. When access is constrained, demand concentrates. That makes facilities feel crowded — especially during popular programming.
Crowding alone does not justify a 20,000-square-foot replacement facility with decades of fixed operating and maintenance costs. It justifies asking harder questions:
• Could scheduling address peak congestion?
• Could flexible, multi-use space meet real demand?
• Could modernization outperform expansion?
Those questions were not explored.
On Seismic Safety: Context Matters
The article repeatedly emphasizes that the existing library is “seismically unsafe,” implying a unique and urgent risk. That framing lacks essential context.
El Cerrito sits directly on the Hayward Fault. As a result, most dwellings and commercial structures in the city are seismically vulnerable, particularly those built before modern seismic codes were adopted.
California does not require older buildings to meet current seismic standards unless they undergo major renovation. “Seismically safe” is therefore not a binary condition — it is a regulatory threshold tied to building codes, not a guarantee of performance during a major earthquake.
If seismic vulnerability alone were sufficient justification for wholesale replacement, much of El Cerrito’s housing stock — including homes, apartments, and small businesses — would require immediate reconstruction.
Seismic risk is real. But using it selectively to advance one project, without acknowledging its citywide prevalence, distorts the discussion.
The Downsides Still Deserve Equal Coverage
The proposed library plan carries real risks that received limited scrutiny:
• A parcel tax that begins years before construction
• A library site tied to a 10-year BART development window
• No guaranteed parking
• Reduced flexibility if usage trends continue downward
• A city with well-documented fiscal challenges asking voters to commit first and evaluate later
None of these concerns are anti-library. They are pro-transparency.
Journalism Should Inform — Not Persuade by Omission
Ms. Lauer is not a campaign volunteer. She is a journalist.
Balanced reporting requires more than vivid anecdotes and optimistic projections. It requires context — especially when residents are being asked to commit to a long-term tax.
A fuller conversation would ask:
• How has library usage changed over the last decade?
• How are peer cities modernizing without massive expansion?
• What happens if the BART timeline slips?
• Why are alternatives framed as infeasible without rigorous evaluation?
Until those questions are addressed, the public record remains incomplete.
If You Care About This Issue, Speak Up
Residents who believe the library debate deserves fuller coverage can respectfully ask for it.
📧 Katie Lauer, Bay Area News Group
klauer@bayareanewsgroup.com
#katielauer
Libraries matter.
So does fiscal realism.
So does context.
El Cerrito deserves all three.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 