El Cerrito residents already pay a dedicated pool tax, yet the City Council is now considering using more of the General Fund reserves to repair the Swim Center’s lap pool. This isn’t about a lack of funding — it’s about how the City has managed (or failed to manage) the money it already collects. AContinue reading “Why El Cerrito Needs a Capital Renewal Plan Now”
Category Archives: FAB Meetings
El Cerrito Library Proposal: Who Really Benefits?
El Cerrito is moving ahead with plans to build a new library at Fairmount and Liberty, near the Plaza BART station. At first glance, the idea of a modern library sounds appealing—who doesn’t want better facilities for families, students, and lifelong learners? However, upon closer examination, serious disadvantages become apparent. This isn’t about opposing libraries.Continue reading “El Cerrito Library Proposal: Who Really Benefits?”
El Cerrito Needs An Overhaul—Not Cosmetic Fixes
El Cerrito’s problems run far deeper than budget shortfalls and service delays. They are systemic—rooted in a culture of poor financial stewardship, opaque decision-making, and an entrenched unwillingness to hold leadership accountable. These challenges cannot be resolved by tinkering at the margins or by trusting the same people who created them to suddenly reverse course.Continue reading “El Cerrito Needs An Overhaul—Not Cosmetic Fixes”
Image First, City A Distant Second
The City Manager is supposed to be the city’s CEO and chief strategist — the person responsible for setting priorities, stewarding resources, and ensuring residents receive the services they depend on. But in El Cerrito, the record tells a different story. The City hasn’t really recovered from her lack of focus. El Cerrito’s finances remainContinue reading “Image First, City A Distant Second”
El Cerrito’s Library Plan: Big Price Tag, Shrinking Foot Traffic
The City of El Cerrito is pushing ahead with plans for a 21,000 square-foot library at a cost of over $75 million—and the price could ultimately reach $100 million. The proposed funding mechanism? A $300 per year parcel tax that residents would be locked into forever with periodic escalation. At first glance, investing in publicContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Library Plan: Big Price Tag, Shrinking Foot Traffic”
🚨 El Cerrito’s Pension Time Bomb: Nearly $90 Million in Unfunded Liability—and No Real Plan
As CalPERS, the nation’s largest public pension fund, faces scrutiny over its growing investments in private equity, the City of El Cerrito is sitting on a fiscal time bomb: nearly $90 million in unfunded pension liability—and climbing. This burden, driven by a bloated payroll and decades of financial mismanagement, poses a threat to the city’s long-termContinue reading “🚨 El Cerrito’s Pension Time Bomb: Nearly $90 Million in Unfunded Liability—and No Real Plan”
EL CERRITO MAYOR, COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER SOLD OUT RICHMOND STREET RESIDENTS FOR AN $8 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT
Despite hosting public meetings and inviting resident feedback, the City of El Cerrito had already accepted $8 million in federal funding before residents were shown the final plan. The public input process was performative—a façade of engagement after the decision had already been made. The Richmond Street Complete Streets Project will remove 160 out ofContinue reading “EL CERRITO MAYOR, COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER SOLD OUT RICHMOND STREET RESIDENTS FOR AN $8 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT”
Budget Approved. Services Denied. El Cerrito’s Fiscal Path Back to the Brink – Again
Despite mounting deficits, rising liabilities, and a shrinking cushion of reserves, the El Cerrito City Council voted 4-1 to adopt the FY 2025–26 budget. The lone dissenting vote came from Council Member William Ktsanes—the only member to stay true to his campaign commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparent governance. He recognized what the others ignored:Continue reading “Budget Approved. Services Denied. El Cerrito’s Fiscal Path Back to the Brink – Again”
El Cerrito’s FY 2025–26 Budget Reduces General Fund Reserves to Cover Operating Gap
At its June 17, 2025 meeting, the El Cerrito City Council is scheduled to adopt the FY 2025–26 budget. While the proposed budget is presented as balanced, it includes a planned $2.3 million reduction in the City’s unrestricted General Fund balance to close a projected operating shortfall—continuing a troubling trend of using one-time reserves to fundContinue reading “El Cerrito’s FY 2025–26 Budget Reduces General Fund Reserves to Cover Operating Gap”
El Cerrito’s Misguided Development Gamble
El Cerrito’s City Council is pursuing a plan to relocate the public library into a high-density development at the Plaza BART Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) site. They claim it’s about modernizing services. In reality, it’s about propping up their speculative “urban village” vision—an idea that casts the library not as a civic resource, but as anContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Misguided Development Gamble”
🌐 One Rule for the City Manager, Another for Everyone Else 🌐
In El Cerrito, we see a troubling example of how power can become concentrated in the hands of a few—an oligarchy. When decisions are made behind closed doors, transparency is ignored, and public input is dismissed, it’s the residents who suffer. The council has allowed city leadership to repeatedly ignore public engagement, preferring decisions madeContinue reading “🌐 One Rule for the City Manager, Another for Everyone Else 🌐”
Doing What They Want and Begging for What They Need
Truth is suppressed, not to protect the country from enemy agents, but to protect the Government of the day against the people. —— Essential, But Not Budgeted: The Cost of Poor Planning in El Cerrito El Cerrito continues to show signs of financial mismanagement—this time by failing to include known, essential expenses in the city’sContinue reading “Doing What They Want and Begging for What They Need”
El Cerrito’s Budget Illusion
El Cerrito residents are being misled. Despite claims of discretionary spending, the reality is starkly different. The so-called “surplus” is nothing more than a fragile cushion, barely above the minimum reserve requirement—and it’s shrinking fast. Here’s what you need to know. Not Discretionary Funds – Only a Cushion The city’s financial projections show approximately $2.1Continue reading “El Cerrito’s Budget Illusion”
Why El Cerrito Must Go Beyond Minimum Pension Payments
At the most recent City Council meeting, the City Manager noted—accurately—that El Cerrito has never missed a CalPERS payment. But what went unmentioned is equally important: the State Auditor criticized the city for only making the minimum required payments. Paying the minimum might check a box, but it doesn’t reflect sound fiscal management. CalPERS providesContinue reading “Why El Cerrito Must Go Beyond Minimum Pension Payments”
El Cerrito’s 2025–26 Budget Study: Key Highlights & Risks
On April 15, 2025, the El Cerrito City Council held a budget study session to review the preliminary Fiscal Year (FY) 2025–2026 budget. Budget Manager Claire Coleman presented the budget remotely via teleconference. Unfortunately, significant audio issues marred her presentation, making it difficult for the Council and the public to follow along clearly. Despite theseContinue reading “El Cerrito’s 2025–26 Budget Study: Key Highlights & Risks”
Facing Facts in El Cerrito: The Fiscal Conversation We Deserve
As El Cerrito prepares its FY 2025–2026 budget, city staff are touting a “balanced” financial plan. But residents should take a closer look. Beneath the headlines and hopeful proclamations lies a sobering fiscal reality: We are inching toward more profound structural instability, masked by one-time funding shifts and unsustainable reserve draws. The $4.5 Million AskContinue reading “Facing Facts in El Cerrito: The Fiscal Conversation We Deserve”
Bridging the Gap Between Symbolism and Substance
El Cerrito has often been lauded for its progressive initiatives and gestures championing inclusivity and community engagement. However, a closer examination reveals a recurring pattern: while the city excels in presenting an image of progressiveness, tangible outcomes and services often fall short of promises. This disconnect between appearance and reality raises concerns about the city’sContinue reading “Bridging the Gap Between Symbolism and Substance”
El Cerrito Is Losing Businesses
McBears – the latest victim El Cerrito has recently witnessed several prominent business closures, raising alarm about the city’s economic climate. Barnes & Noble, a fixture at El Cerrito Plaza for over 20 years, shut its doors in January 2025, leaving 22 employees without jobs. Company officials said they “didn’t have the opportunity to renewContinue reading “El Cerrito Is Losing Businesses”
El Cerrito City Council Votes to Deplete Reserves—Again
In a troubling echo of past financial mismanagement, the El Cerrito City Council recently voted 4-1 (with Councilmember Ktsanes dissenting) to withdraw $1 million from city reserves, leaving just $11 in unrestricted reserves. This is the same reckless budgeting approach that previously led to El Cerrito’s going concern warning, high-risk designation, and a dismal BBB-Continue reading “El Cerrito City Council Votes to Deplete Reserves—Again”
El Cerrito: Lower Fire Risk, But Still More FTEs?
A new set of fire hazard maps released by the state paints a concerning picture for many Bay Area cities. Some communities have seen striking increases in their fire risk, with more homes now classified as being in high or very high fire hazard severity zones. But not El Cerrito. According to the updated data,Continue reading “El Cerrito: Lower Fire Risk, But Still More FTEs?”
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 