Why El Cerrito Residents Should Vote No on the Parcel Tax

Not because residents don’t value libraries, but because this City has not earned another blank check.

El Cerrito’s financial condition didn’t become fragile overnight — and it didn’t happen “to” the City. The California State Auditor found El Cerrito to be at high risk of financial instability due to continual overspending, poor budgeting, and the lack of a comprehensive recovery plan, noting that the City depleted its general fund reserves in FY 2016–17 and relied on short-term loans to keep operating.  After that, the city continued to overspend and continues to overspend.

Now, with a parcel tax campaign accelerating, residents are being asked — again — to trust the same leadership circle that presided over the years when reserves fell, warning signs were missed, and structural problems deepened.

Greg Lyman is central to this story. As the current Chair of the Committee for a Plaza Station Library he is a key figure during the years El Cerrito’s finances spiraled. At the same time, the committee’s FPPC filing lists Greg Lyman in the treasurer role and shows the filing digitally signed by him — the kind of detail that matters because it confirms he isn’t a bystander; he’s a responsible officer of the campaign.

This isn’t just about who holds what title. It’s about who is carrying the message and driving the strategy. Lyman has done that before — including during the State Auditor’s scrutiny. In a memo authored by Mayor Greg Lyman, he described the State Auditor’s team visiting El Cerrito after the City received a “high risk” rating. He wrote that the Auditor’s team spoke to the City Manager, Assistant City Manager, Finance Director, department heads, and every councilmember, and that he “told El Cerrito’s story” about how the City got into trouble and what it planned to do next.

His own description of that history is revealing. In that same memo, Lyman stated reserves fluctuated for a decade and said the City’s reserves went from $3.4 million (2008) down to $1 million (2019), “primarily” because funds were pulled from reserves to plug budget gaps tied to ongoing policy decisions. In other words, the pattern was known and discussed, yet it was still normalized as the way El Cerrito kept going.

And here’s the part residents should not ignore: the current City Manager, Karen Pinkos, was not an outsider arriving after the damage was done. The City’s own profile notes she came to El Cerrito in 2001, served as Assistant City Manager, and was appointed City Manager in December 2018 — squarely within the era of “high risk” findings and the ongoing effort to stabilize finances.  Lyman’s memo also confirms City management was directly engaged in the Auditor’s review process.

It’s 2026, and the City is still not operating from strength. Even in recent budget documents, the City relied on appropriating $2,446,754 from the Unrestricted General Fund Balance to close gaps, and the City Manager explicitly reviews the mid-year update. Another City budget presentation states the City needed $1,000,000 in ongoing structural changes to “maintain reserve levels.” That is not what “earned trust” looks like. That is a City still leaning on reserves and still trying to outrun structural reality.

Meanwhile, the City is publicly circulating polling that points residents toward the same tax architecture the initiative uses. The City reports commissioning Godbe Research and notes that a survey found 61% of voters in favor of a parcel tax of $0.17 per square foot of building area for a new library. That matters because it shows how closely the political campaign’s design aligns with City Hall’s own messaging.

Now look at what the initiative actually does. The petition summary states that the measure would levy an annual parcel tax with an initial maximum of $0.17 per square foot of improvements (or $100 for a vacant parcel), authorize yearly adjustments, and allow the use of revenue for listed purposes, including paying debt service on bonds or other indebtedness. (Committee for A Plaza Station Library) It also defines the “Tax Administrator” as the Finance Director or another City official designated by the City Manager — a reminder that, even when marketed as “citizen-led,” implementation lives inside City government. (Committee for A Plaza Station Library)

So here is the bottom line: El Cerrito residents are being asked to sign up for another long-term obligation while the City is still stabilizing, still using reserves to bridge gaps, and still asking the public to trust leaders and insiders who already have had many chances to prove fiscal discipline.

Saying no is not anti-library. It is pro-accountability.

It is residents insisting on a basic standard: before you ask for more money, show that you can manage what you already have. Before you ask for a new tax, demonstrate sustained structural balance. Before you promise a beautiful public benefit, produce a complete plan that includes realistic costs, long-term operating impacts, and a credible path to protecting general fund reserves — not another campaign built on emotional framing and selective facts.

This measure is going to appear on the 2026 ballot, so residents should treat the next several months as the real decision window. Ask challenging questions now, while there is still time to shape what happens — or stop it.

Call to action
Email the City Council and the City Manager. Tell them: No new taxes in 2026 until El Cerrito demonstrates sustained fiscal stability without reserve dependence. Ask for a full public, written plan that includes total project cost, long-term operating cost, debt assumptions, reserve impacts, and what gets cut or deferred to pay for it.

• City Manager Karen Pinkos: kpinkos@elcerrito.gov (El Cerrito)
• City Clerk (for current council contact list/agendas): cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
• City Council (verify current members/emails via City Clerk if seats have changed since prior cycles):
  Councilmember Carolyn Wysinger — cwysinger@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  Mayor Gabe Quinto — gquinto@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  Councilmember Lisa Motoyama — lmotoyama@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  Councilmember Rebecca Saltzman — rsaltzman@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  Councilmember William Ktsanes — wktsanes@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us (ECCRG)

Share this with neighbors — especially anyone who is tempted to sign a petition because it “sounds good.” El Cerrito isn’t voting on whether libraries matter. El Cerrito is voting on whether City Hall has earned the right to ask for more.