A resident-focused review of the Q1 General Fund Update presented November 18, 2025 El Cerrito residents deserve financial reporting that is timely, comparable, and designed for real oversight—especially in a city where taxes are already high, and the margin for error is shrinking. But the General Fund First Quarter Update presented on November 18, 2025,Continue reading “El Cerrito’s General Fund Update Is Late — Again”
Author Archives: eccrg
Assessing El Cerrito’s City Services: A Call for Improvement
Residents do not pay taxes for a subpar City Hall . Taxpayers pay for services we can access and rely on: permits and plan checks that move on time, inspections that get scheduled, code enforcement follow-up, timely answers from the clerk and the front counter, and a City Hall that is available when people needContinue reading “Assessing El Cerrito’s City Services: A Call for Improvement”
The Swearing-In Wasn’t Just a Celebration. It Was a Soft Launch for a 2026 Tax Campaign
At the El Cerrito City Council meeting on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, regional and state elected officials joined Gabe Quinto as he was selected as mayor for next year. Attorney General Rob Bonta administered the oath, underscoring Quinto’s rising profile and the political attention El Cerrito continues to draw. But as the congratulations rolled in,Continue reading “The Swearing-In Wasn’t Just a Celebration. It Was a Soft Launch for a 2026 Tax Campaign”
El Cerrito’s Long-Term Tax Measure: Hidden Costs Explained
Influenced by Concerned Citizens’ Social Media Posts Residents deserve transparency before voting on a tax that won’t deliver what’s being promised El Cerrito is once again being asked to approve a long-term tax measure — this time advertised as an initiative for a new library. But before anyone votes, residents deserve to understand what thisContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Long-Term Tax Measure: Hidden Costs Explained”
Overstaffing in El Cerrito: Impacts on Expenses and Services
El Cerrito stands out among its neighboring cities for its unusually high concentration of fire services, considering its population and geographic size. More than five years ago, the California State Auditor recommended that the city conduct a staffing analysis to determine the appropriate levels for each classification. While El Cerrito is finally conducting a staffingContinue reading “Overstaffing in El Cerrito: Impacts on Expenses and Services”
Transforming El Cerrito’s Policing: Strategies for Safer Communities
El Cerrito residents deserve a public safety strategy that matches the realities on the ground. Yet at a recent meeting, the Chief of Police proudly highlighted the additional revenue the department generated from citations — while saying nothing about the rise in property crime across our neighborhoods. That contrast tells you everything.When leadership celebrates ticketContinue reading “Transforming El Cerrito’s Policing: Strategies for Safer Communities”
El Cerrito’s Leadership Crisis: Time for New Voices
El Cerrito is long overdue for a change in leadership. Despite over a decade of warning signs—financial mismanagement, escalating liabilities, and a deeply troubled General Fund—City Hall has continued to cling to the same failing playbook and the same enabling cast of characters. And now, residents are being asked to fund a $75 million libraryContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Leadership Crisis: Time for New Voices”
A Legacy of Neglect
For nearly twenty years, El Cerrito residents have shouldered the consequences of City Hall’s fiscal negligence. The City’s pension costs now exceed $8.5 million every year—roughly 16 percent of the city’s entire General Fund budget. Those costs keep rising, even as service levels fall, and public safety concerns grow. This didn’t happen by chance. It’sContinue reading “A Legacy of Neglect”
El Cerrito’s Conflict of Interest in City Manager Expenses
Shame on the Mayor for shirking their responsibilities In municipal government, transparency and accountability start with something simple: who approves the expenses of the top executive. In nearly every California city, that responsibility rests squarely with the Mayor or City Council, not a subordinate employee. It’s a small but essential safeguard that ensures no oneContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Conflict of Interest in City Manager Expenses”
California’s Housing Funding Setbacks: The Plaza Library Challenge
The State of California’s Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has released staff recommendations for its latest round of affordable housing awards—funding essential for moving major transit-oriented development projects forward. El Cerrito Plaza’s Parcel C East did not receive an award, representing an early and important setback for the proposed Plaza Library, which is tied to ParcelContinue reading “California’s Housing Funding Setbacks: The Plaza Library Challenge”
A Better Alternative: Building a Library at Stockton Avenue
El Cerrito could have a modern library. But the Plaza library proposal is not the responsible path to get there. After months of shifting numbers, incomplete statements, and conflicting assumptions, one thing has become clear. This project is not financially sound, not transparent, and not in the long-term interest of residents. Voters should reject it.Continue reading “A Better Alternative: Building a Library at Stockton Avenue”
El Cerrito Residents Reject Library Tax Proposal
At the December 2 City Council meeting, El Cerrito residents showed up in force — and they were overwhelmingly opposed to yet another long-term tax for a library the city would not own. Six residents spoke against the proposal, raising concerns about the initiative’s structure, its lack of transparency, and the long-term financial impact onContinue reading “El Cerrito Residents Reject Library Tax Proposal”
Are Seniors Really Exempt from El Cerrito’s Library Tax?
El Cerrito neighbors and friends,you’ve probably heard one line over and over from supporters of the new library tax: “Seniors are exempt.” Not “low-income seniors under a strict state program.”Not “a few seniors who qualify after paperwork and audits.”Just a blanket “seniors are exempt.” That isn’t just misleading. It’s false.And the people leading this effort—CityContinue reading “Are Seniors Really Exempt from El Cerrito’s Library Tax?”
El Cerrito Is Kicking the Can Again — And Residents Deserve Better
El Cerrito’s Swim Center lap pool needs attention. No one disputes that. The replastering project is a basic, overdue maintenance task, and residents want facilities that are safe, functional, and well-maintained. What’s at issue is how the City plans to pay for it — and what that decision reveals about the ongoing pattern of pushingContinue reading “El Cerrito Is Kicking the Can Again — And Residents Deserve Better”
El Cerrito’s Rising Taxes: Decline in Services
For decades, El Cerrito has responded to fiscal pressures with one familiar tool: more taxes. From parcel taxes and storm drain assessments to multiple sales tax hikes and the 1.2% real property transfer tax, voters have repeatedly been asked to approve new revenue streams to “preserve city services” and “prevent cuts.” Yet today, service levelsContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Rising Taxes: Decline in Services”
Happy Thanksgiving, El Cerrito
As we gather with family, friends, and neighbors this Thanksgiving, I’m reminded of what makes our community so special. El Cerrito is full of people who care deeply—about our neighborhoods, our parks, our local businesses, and most of all, about one another. That spirit of connection is what gives our city its heart. Over theContinue reading “Happy Thanksgiving, El Cerrito”
El Cerrito Library: Another Case Against the Plaza Project
Why the City Should Pause the Plaza Project, Scrap the Parcel Tax, and Use Existing Buildings Instead El Cerrito can modernize its library in a faster, more predictable, and far more affordable way — without taking on the financial risk of a $28 million construction project or locking residents into a 30-year parcel tax thatContinue reading “El Cerrito Library: Another Case Against the Plaza Project”
Where Is Our Road Tax Money Going?
Neighbors, we need to pay attention to what’s happening with our roads. The latest data from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission shows El Cerrito’s pavement condition has fallen sharply—from a PCI score of 83 in 2018 to 66 in 2024, and now 65 as of July 2025. That’s a 17-point drop in just a few years,Continue reading “Where Is Our Road Tax Money Going?”
Correction: Clarifying Our Statement About the Library Tax Initiative
One of our readers questioned our earlier statement that the proposed ballot measure does not mention the word “library.” After re-reviewing the filed Notice of Intent and ballot materials, we confirm that the measure does reference funding for a library. Our prior statement was incorrect. We are issuing this correction because it is the rightContinue reading “Correction: Clarifying Our Statement About the Library Tax Initiative”
Is the El Cerrito Library Tax a Community Initiative?
Supporters of a new tax to fund a future library have been quick to call their effort a “citizen initiative.” Legally, that’s correct — 10% of registered voters must sign a petition to qualify a measure for the ballot. But let’s be honest about what actually happened: Roughly 1,800 verified signatures — in a cityContinue reading “Is the El Cerrito Library Tax a Community Initiative?”
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 