Former Mayor and Councilmember Greg Lyman recently made a public remark that deserves a second look.
He said, “We don’t mind taxing ourselves.” It was said publicly.
And it shouldn’t be forgotten.
Because what he really meant was this:
We don’t mind taxing the property owners in El Cerrito.
That is what this conversation is really about.
While El Cerrito is moving forward with plans for a roughly 20,000-square-foot library with an estimated construction cost of $37 million—likely exceeding $100 million over its lifetime—library use across Contra Costa County is rapidly shifting online.
And the data tells a very different story from the one being used to justify this project.
THE DIGITAL REALITY
In 2025, the Contra Costa County Library system celebrated a record-breaking year for digital lending:
– 3,045,601 digital checkouts
– A 21% increase over 2024
– Ranked 7th in California for digital circulation
– A new daily record of 11,563 digital loans on January 2, 2026
These checkouts occurred primarily through OverDrive and its Libby app, which provide access to thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and learning resources—available 24/7 on phones, tablets, and computers.
This is not a temporary spike.
It reflects how residents increasingly access information.
People are reading digitally.
They are learning digitally.
They are borrowing digitally.
The County is expanding these resources because that is where demand is growing.
MEANWHILE, IN EL CERRITO…
El Cerrito has:
– About 25,000 residents
– Roughly 11,000 households
– Access to countywide digital libraries
– Nearby physical libraries in neighboring cities
– Regional resource sharing
– 24/7 online availability
Yet the City is proposing one of the most expensive public projects in Contra Costa County.
A project that could ultimately cost taxpayers more than $100 million when construction, financing, operations, maintenance, and long-term repairs are included.
For a city of this size, that is an extraordinary financial obligation.
WHAT ARE WE REALLY PAYING FOR?
Supporters describe this project as an investment in the future.
But the future of libraries is already visible.
It looks like:
– Digital books and audiobooks
– Online research databases
– Virtual learning tools
– Mobile access
– Regional resource sharing
– On-demand content
So why is El Cerrito planning as if physical circulation is still the dominant model?
Why are we designing a facility for yesterday’s usage patterns?
THIS IS NOT ANTI-LIBRARY
Libraries matter.
Access to knowledge matters.
Community spaces matter.
But so does proportionality.
So does sustainability.
So does stewardship.
This is about responsible governance.
THE QUESTION THEY KEEP AVOIDING
What city of approximately 25,000 people—about 11,000 households—needs a library that starts at $37 million and will likely exceed $100 million over time in an era when millions of books are already in our pockets?
Why are we taxing residents for a building when the data tells us the future is digital?
Why, unlike neighboring fiscally responsible cities, aren’t city leaders pushing for a remodel instead of a building we cannot afford and will never fully utilize?
Before we keep taxing residents, we owe them an honest conversation about scale, cost, and priorities.
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 
libraries today face changing technology and in El Cerrito you get the gigantic ego of the CM and this project. Libraries are what 8-track tapes were in the 70s when cassettes went main stream. The same happened to cassettes in the 90s when CDs hit, and CDs in the 2000s when streaming hit. If it weren’t for the ego of one city manager, this fiasco would have ended. Residents don’t want it; which shows in the surveys/polling the city had done but won’t release. Supposedly the council has some intelligent people, but they are focused on wasting money which is part for the course from a former Bart board member.
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Agreed
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I happened to talk to a neighbor (El Cerrito) about this library proposal. She is in favor because she believes there are many under-privileged children who need a place to go after school, preferably in a book-based environment, where perhaps someone can read stories to them in a private space (which would not interfere with the quiet other library patrons usually like). I mentioned the possibility of other non-library spaces where such things could happen; also, the fact that the present library is close to school; also mentioned possible difficulties about getting children from a school site all the way to the Plaza. These sorts of questions hadn’t occurred to her; she is unusually intelligent, and reacted as a responsible citizen to the ideas of library and help for the underprivileged. I suggested that since the new proposed library may never be built, yet we would be taxed into a rather distant future, perhaps we should at least wait for a year before voting on this – preferably, not this particular plan, but something better-thought-out, with the possibility of alternative spaces to take care of after-school children. I wonder how many such children are in need, or would use a new library space, especially if far away from actual school sites.
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We will have a post about library usage in the coming days. Feel free to share with your neighbor.
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We totally get being there for the less fortunate
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