Repost: We’ve welcomed many new subscribers since yesterday, so we’re reposting this blog to make sure everyone has a chance to see it. Please share with other El Cerrito residents who may find it helpful.

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This blog is heavily influenced by a recent social media post that was removed despite strong engagement.

A recent post by an engaged El Cerrito resident was removed from the neighborhood social media platform Next Door, even though it generated meaningful discussion and received many likes. The post raised questions about the proposed El Cerrito library project—specifically, whether there is a funded building at all.

The removal matters less than why the questions resonate. When discussion is curtailed, the responsibility to examine facts doesn’t disappear. It increases.

The Core Issue: There Is No Funding for the Building

The proposed library is planned for Parcel C West at El Cerrito Plaza. As of today, there is no secured funding for Parcel C West, no approved affordable housing project on Parcel C West, and without the housing project, there is no building in which the library can exist.

Despite this, residents are being asked to vote on a 17-cent-per-square-foot parcel tax on June 2, 2026. If approved, tax collection could begin as early as December 2026 and continue indefinitely.

No Plan B, No Second Vote

If voters approve the tax, collections may begin before construction is even possible, funds can legally be used for planning, consultants, and other city purposes, and voters do not get a second chance if the project stalls, changes or fails.

The Timeline That Isn’t Being Talked About

• June 2, 2026: Parcel tax vote.
• December 2026: Possible start of tax collection.
• December 2026: Next announcement of state grant awards.
• 2032 at the earliest: Possible construction start—if all funding aligns.

The Grant Dependency Problem

The library plan depends on winning a highly competitive state grant tied to affordable housing. These grants are oversubscribed, dependent on volatile revenue sources, and far from guaranteed.

Why This Should Give Voters Pause

All of this should give residents real pause before voting yes on a long-term parcel tax. Voters are not being asked to approve a finished plan. They are being asked to approve a revenue stream first, with no funded building, no secured grant, no clear construction timeline, and no contingency if the core assumptions fail.

Once the tax is approved, it can begin within months, continue for decades, and does not require the library to be built, nor does it require voter reauthorization if plans change.

Pausing is not opposition. Asking for clarity is not obstruction. Declining to prepay for a speculative project is a reasonable response when the risk is asymmetric and the consequences are permanent.

That alone should give people pause when they step into the voting booth on June 2, 2026.

Fact Box: What Voters Should Verify Before June 2, 2026

• Proposed Tax: 17 cents per square foot parcel tax
• Election Date: June 2, 2026
• Potential Tax Start: December 2026
• Tax Duration: Indefinite (30+ years)
• Library Location: Parcel C West (unfunded)
• Current Status of Parcel C West: No secured funding, no approved housing project
• Key Dependency: Competitive AHSC (Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities) state grant
• Next AHSC Award Announcement: December 2026
• Earliest Plausible Construction Start: 2032 (assuming funding is secured)

Risk Holder: Property owners (no second vote, no build requirement tied to tax