El Cerrito Has a Trust Problem—and It’s Fixable

Posted byeccrgPosted inState Audit

El Cerrito residents are not asking for perfection. They are asking for complete, clear, timely information so they can understand what is happening, weigh tradeoffs, and participate in good faith.

Right now, El Cerrito’s own survey data shows a credibility gap that City leadership should treat as an operational risk, not a public relations problem.

The trust gap is measurable in El Cerrito

El Cerrito’s 2022 National Community Survey (representative sample of 463 residents; collected Nov 30, 2022–Jan 11, 2023) reports percent positive for key governance behaviors:

  • Being honest: 52%
  • Being open and transparent to the public: 48%
  • Informing residents about issues facing the community: 40%

Stop calling these numbers good: 40% is an F, and 52% is not passing either

If this were a school test, 40% would be an F. Period.

And 52% is not a passing grade either.

More importantly, resident trust scores do not top out at 100% in real life. There is almost always a segment that is neutral, skeptical, or dissatisfied, no matter what. If we accept that 85–90% positive is about as good as it gets, then these numbers are not OK. They are underperforming.

Using 90% as a practical ceiling, here is what El Cerrito’s 2022 results look like:

  • Informing residents (40%) = 44% of the ceiling → F
  • Open and transparent (48%) = 53% of the ceiling → F
  • Being honest (52%) = 58% of the ceiling → still failing

Why being honest can look better than it is

Many uninformed residents can’t detect misstatements and omissions. But in El Cerrito, more and more residents are becoming informed—paying closer attention to City performance, finances, and how decisions are communicated. As that awareness grows, misstatements and omissions become easier to spot, less tolerated, and far more damaging to trust.

So communications can sound honest, professional, and reassuring while still leaving out significant facts that would change how people interpret the message, such as:

  • risks and uncertainty
  • true timelines and decision gates
  • what is contingent (funding, approvals, market conditions)
  • long-term operating costs (not just construction costs)
  • alternatives that were evaluated and rejected

This is why the 40% score for informing residents is the most revealing metric. When people do not feel informed, they cannot accurately judge honesty.

If surveyed today, these scores could be lower

Since 2022, many El Cerrito residents have become more engaged and more informed, especially around the City’s biggest topics: budget and reserves, development and TOD, ballot measures, staffing and service levels.

In that environment, omissions become easier to spot and less tolerated. If the City communicated in the same way today, it is reasonable to expect the honesty, transparency, and informed-residents scores could come in lower than the late-2022 baseline.

The City is also participating in the National Community Survey again in 2025, which will provide updated resident feedback.

What transparent leadership looks like in El Cerrito

Honesty is not only the absence of lies. It is the absence of strategic omission.

If El Cerrito wants higher cooperation, leadership needs a repeatable standard for every major topic (budget and reserves, development and TOD, library measure, public safety staffing, capital projects):

The Four-Part Truth Template

  1. What we know
  2. What we do not know yet
  3. What we are assuming and why
  4. What would change our plan

This turns trust from a personality trait into a system.

A practical transparency plan City Council and staff can implement now

1) Monthly one-page What’s Going On report

Same sections every month:

  • General Fund snapshot and reserve trend (vs policy target)
  • what is one-time vs ongoing
  • top risks and mitigations
  • upcoming decisions and what public input can still change

2) Publish the decision record, not just the decision

For each major vote, post a short memo capturing:

  • alternatives considered
  • tradeoffs discussed
  • fiscal and staffing impacts
  • triggers that would cause a pause, reset, or redesign

3) Make timelines honest about money timing

Residents deserve clarity on:

  • when costs hit
  • when taxes or fees start (if applicable)
  • when benefits actually start
  • what changes if funding does not materialize

4) Treat the trust metrics like operational KPIs

If informing residents is at 40%, do not manage that like a branding problem. Manage it like a performance gap that affects everything downstream: cooperation, turnout, meeting temperature, and future revenue asks.

Contact El Cerrito leadership

City Manager

City Council

City Council main line

  • 510-215-4305

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