EDITORIAL
El Cerrito is a community filled with history, character, and long-time residents who care deeply about this city. But if we step back and look at our demographics, one trend stands out above all others: El Cerrito is getting older, and young people are not staying.
According to recent Census data, our median age is over 42, noticeably higher than the region and the state. Nearly one in five El Cerritans is 65 or older, while the share of young adults and young families continues to shrink.
This isn’t happening because young people don’t like El Cerrito. It’s happening because they can’t afford to build a future here.
El Cerrito Has Affordable Housing — But Not Affordable Homeownership
This is the distinction that matters most.
In El Cerrito has several affordable housing developments and income-restricted rental units. These units are great for students, single parents, and other lower-income residents, but eventually, many seek homeownership. But when it comes to owning a home, the pathway is increasingly out of reach.
Why? Because of our extremely high tax base, driven by years of layered parcel taxes, assessments, and bond obligations.
A young family can scrape together a down payment. They can manage the mortgage.
But once they see the $1,100 to $1,400 in additional monthly taxes, including the Real Property Transfer Tax attached to even a modest home, the math collapses.
So they do what any rational young household would do: They look elsewhere.
Albany. Pinole. Hercules. Vallejo. Concord. Sacramento cities where owning a home does not require sacrificing long-term financial stability.
City Managers: Young People Don’t Owe Your City Loyalty
This is a message that civic leaders everywhere need to hear:
Young people in your town owe El Cerrito absolutely nothing.
They don’t have to stay here. They don’t have to raise their children here.
They don’t owe the city or its government blind loyalty.
If a city wants young people and young families, the city must invest in them — and in a future that makes staying possible.
That means:
- Smarter fiscal management
- Prioritizing service delivery over unnecessary spending
- Avoiding projects that require yet another tax measure
- Creating a viable path to homeownership
- Making long-term financial sustainability the default, not the exception
When cities fail to do these things, young residents leave for places that do. And they’re right to.
What Happens When We Don’t Keep Young Families?
We lose:
- School enrollment and school stability
- Local economic vitality
- Small-business customers
- A pipeline of future community leaders
- Energy, innovation, and the civic participation that keep a city thriving
A community without younger generations is a community aging into decline.
El Cerrito Is at a Crossroads
El Cerrito has every opportunity to remain a vibrant, multigenerational city. But that will require leaders to confront the real issue:
We cannot tax our way into a prosperous future while simultaneously expecting young households to put down roots here.
Affordable rentals alone are not enough.
We need affordable ownership — and fiscal choices that make that possible.
A Path Forward
If we want a balanced, vibrant El Cerrito for the next 50 years, we must make decisions that reflect that future:
- Stabilize the tax burden
- Invest in core services before new spending
- Support housing strategies that build ownership opportunities
- Build a city where young people can envision a life — not just a temporary stay
Because the reality is simple:
If we want young people to stay, we must create a city worth staying for.
El Cerrito’s future depends on it.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 