Citizen Initiative or Insider Operation?

El Cerrito residents are being told this new parcel tax is a citizen initiative. But the more facts that emerge, the harder that label is to believe.

The campaign is being led by former mayor Greg Lyman. Even more notably, Greg Lyman reportedly helped write the initiative itself alongside Sky Woodruff.

That is a remarkable detail.

When a former mayor and the sitting city attorney are involved in drafting a measure, residents have every reason to question whether this is truly a grassroots community effort or a professionally engineered political project.

This is not just about appearances. It is about trust, transparency, and honesty with voters.

If the measure was shaped by insiders with deep institutional knowledge and government influence, then calling it a citizen initiative risks misleading the public. A real citizen initiative typically begins with ordinary residents organizing independently, not former elected officials and city leadership helping structure the proposal.

History also matters. Greg Lyman was part of the leadership era that many residents associate with El Cerrito’s serious fiscal decline and near-bankruptcy concerns. Now taxpayers are again being asked to approve more revenue under the guidance of familiar names.

The money trail raises additional questions.

Former mayor Paul Fadelli reportedly donated $5,000.

Current mayor Gabe Quinto donated $250.

Councilmember Rebecca Saltzman donated $250. She is also a former BART director who has committed housing.

And 56% of donations reportedly came from people who do not live in El Cerrito.

So residents should ask:

Who wrote this measure?
Who is funding this campaign?
Who is promoting it?
Who benefits from it?

Because if insiders drafted it, insiders funded it, and insiders are selling it, then voters deserve the truth.

This does not look like a citizen initiative.

It looks like an insider operation wearing a citizen mask.