Residents of El Cerrito deserve honesty—especially when it comes to millions of dollars and long-term tax burdens.
The City Manager gives shifting reasons for not applying for state library grants.
-First, we were told the City was understaffed.
-Then, that staff didn’t know how to apply.
-Then, that El Cerrito lacked matching funds.
None of these explanations stand up to scrutiny.
Every city faces staffing challenges. That is not unique to El Cerrito. But when staff capacity is limited, responsible cities hire outside help. El Cerrito does this routinely.
The City hires contractors for IT support, revenue analysis, service delivery studies, financial recovery modeling, and organizational assessments. When something matters, the City finds expertise.
Grant writing is no different.
If internal staff lacked time or experience, the logical solution was to hire a grant consultant. A short-term contractor would have cost a fraction of what residents are now being asked to pay. In this case, that consultant would likely have paid for themselves many times over.
The claim that staff “didn’t know how” is also weak. Grant applications are a normal part of municipal management. And again, when knowledge is limited, cities bring in specialists. Lack of expertise is not a reason to give up; it’s a reason to get help.
The most troubling excuse, however, is the claim that El Cerrito lacked matching funds.
Matching funds do not require new taxes. They typically come from existing reserves, capital improvement budgets, operating budgets, or previously approved measures. This is standard practice in cities across California.
El Cerrito’s annual operating budget exceeds $50 million. Between reserves, capital funds, and discretionary operating resources, identifying a modest local match would have been entirely feasible. It would have been an easy fix—if leadership had wanted to fix it.
While El Cerrito hesitated, neighboring cities acted.
In the early 2000s, Hercules won a $6.1 million state grant toward building its library—matched with local funding under $4.2 million, plus donated land—making the library a reality rather than just an idea.
That investment brought a state-of-the-art library into the community. Other smaller local and foundation grants have supported program improvements since.
Hercules didn’t wait. It secured funding and built something lasting.
Likewise, Larkspur assembled a nearly $19.7 million library project by combining foundation support, state grants, city funds, and private contributions. Like Hercules, more than $6 million came from state grants alone.
This did not happen by accident.
It happened because Larkspur’s leadership actively pursued outside funding rather than defaulting to taxpayers.
That contrast matters.
This is not about one missed grant. It reflects a broader pattern.
When faced with financial challenges, El Cerrito’s leadership too often chooses the same path: don’t pursue outside money, don’t hire targeted expertise, and don’t restructure priorities. Raise taxes instead.
Over and over, the burden falls on homeowners—not because there are no alternatives, but because alternatives require effort, planning, and accountability.
Unclaimed grant money increases residents’ financial burden. Missed opportunities raise future taxes, and excuses lead to higher parcel taxes and assessments.
This is not inevitable.
It is a choice.
El Cerrito residents should expect better.
We should expect City leadership to aggressively pursue grants, use outside expertise when needed, plan for matching funds responsibly, and treat taxpayer dollars as a last resort—not the first.
If we do not demand that standard, nothing will change—and we will keep paying for it.
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Draft letter for the city manager and council.
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
I am writing as a concerned resident to express my frustration with the City’s failure to pursue available state grant funding for the library project.
Over time, residents have been given multiple explanations for why El Cerrito did not apply: understaffing, lack of expertise, and lack of matching funds. None of these reasons is persuasive.
When City staff are unavailable, El Cerrito hires contractors for IT, revenue analysis, service studies, recovery planning, organizational assessments, and grant writing. If expertise or time is limited, hiring a grant consultant is a reasonable option and less costly than placing the burden on taxpayers.
The claim that the City lacked matching funds is especially troubling. Matching funds do not require new taxes. They typically come from existing reserves, capital budgets, operating budgets, or previously approved measures. With an annual operating budget exceeding $50 million, identifying a modest local match should have been entirely feasible.
Neighboring cities demonstrate what effective leadership looks like. Hercules secured millions in state funding for its library. Larkspur assembled more than $6 million in state grants as part of its recent project. These cities acted with urgency and creativity to reduce the burden on residents.
El Cerrito did not.
Instead, residents are once again being asked to shoulder the full financial responsibility.
This reflects a troubling pattern: when faced with major funding needs, the City too often defaults to higher taxes rather than aggressively pursuing outside resources and partnerships.
As a resident and taxpayer, I expect better.
Specifically, I expect:
• Active and timely pursuit of all relevant grant opportunities
• Use of outside expertise when internal capacity is limited
• Responsible planning for matching funds within existing budgets
• Transparency and accountability when opportunities are missed
Taxpayers should be the last resort—not the first.
I respectfully ask the Council and City Manager to explain why grant funding was not pursued, what steps will be taken to prevent this from happening again, and how future capital projects will be managed more responsibly.
Our community deserves leadership that works as hard to reduce our financial burden as it does to justify increasing it.
Sincerely,
(your name)
El Cerrito Resident
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 