From a recent social media discussion. At the October 7 City Council meeting, the Council considered authorizing an additional $391,000 to Ghirardelli Associates for “construction management services” related to the El Cerrito Del Norte Transit-Oriented Development Complete Streets Project. This wasn’t a competitive bid. It was a contract extension, justified by claims that the originalContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Selective Spending: Expert Voices Without Expertise”
Category Archives: Pension
Too Many Staff, Too Little Service
Staffing Levels: A Key Driver of Payroll, Pension Costs, and Declining Productivity El Cerrito’s staffing structure is significantly larger and more expensive than those of peer cities of similar size. This isn’t just about “overhead” — it’s a major driver of payroll and pension costs that are consuming the city’s operating budget. The city’s $53.8Continue reading “Too Many Staff, Too Little Service”
El Cerrito Deserves Better: Why It’s Time to Move On from Gabe Quinto
For more than a decade, Councilmember Gabe Quinto has sat on the El Cerrito City Council. With his visibility at community events and a polished public persona, he’s managed to remain in office. But when you peel back the layers, one fact becomes undeniable: he has done nothing to strengthen this city or to meetContinue reading “El Cerrito Deserves Better: Why It’s Time to Move On from Gabe Quinto”
A $75+ Million Gamble El Cerrito Can’t Afford
El Cerrito voters are being asked to consider a massive $75 million+ tax measure for a new library. But before agreeing to decades of new taxes, residents deserve to ask a simple question: what guarantee do we have that this library will ever get built? The city’s current plan relies on the construction of aContinue reading “A $75+ Million Gamble El Cerrito Can’t Afford”
🚨 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’s Budget: Eight Years of Red Flags, Backed by Data
El Cerrito’s budget problems are no secret—but too often, they’re discussed in the abstract. This post provides clear, verifiable evidence that over the past eight years, the City has been living beyond its means. The numbers are drawn directly from official city documents and CalPERS reports. The analysis is nonpartisan and was created to inform—notContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Budget: Eight Years of Red Flags, Backed by Data”
Why Should We Trust the City’s Financial Information?
When public agencies ask for more funding, whether through tax measures or budget reallocations, they often ask residents to trust their financial stewardship. But what happens when the numbers they present don’t align—even in their own reports? Recently, while reviewing El Cerrito’s financials, a concerning inconsistency emerged. The unassigned General Fund balance for FY 2023Continue reading “Why Should We Trust the City’s Financial Information?”
El Cerrito’s Pension Debt: A Growing Crisis Backed by Hard Data
El Cerrito’s pension liability has grown into a major fiscal challenge—and one a local data scientist is working on to make the problem more understandable for the public and policymakers. Since the California State Auditor placed El Cerrito on her high-risk cities watch list in late 2019, the city has faced heightened scrutiny over itsContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Pension Debt: A Growing Crisis Backed by Hard Data”
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 Financial Reckoning: A Call for Long-Term Responsibility
A recent public comment submitted by a concerned El Cerrito resident—featured on page 735 of the June 3, 2025, City Council agenda packet—highlights urgent and deeply troubling issues regarding the city’s financial practices. The letter, written by Janos Szlatenyi, outlines not only a critique of the city’s current fiscal approach but also a clear warning:Continue reading “El Cerrito’s Financial Reckoning: A Call for Long-Term Responsibility”
The High Cost of Inadequate Analysis: NHA’s Failure on El Cerrito’s Pension Liability
El Cerrito’s financial health is under increasing scrutiny, and rightly so. Residents deserve clear, actionable insights into the city’s long-term obligations, especially when it comes to pension liabilities. Unfortunately, the city’s decision to pay NHA Advisors over $100,000 for financial consulting services has left more questions than answers. 🔍 Where Did the Money Go? AccordingContinue reading “The High Cost of Inadequate Analysis: NHA’s Failure on El Cerrito’s Pension Liability”
El Cerrito’s Pension Burden: Rankings Reveal Troubling Financial Trends #4
California municipalities are ranked each year based on key fiscal indicators—including net worth, pension costs, and pension obligations. These rankings, which compare cities statewide, offer insight into local governments’ fiscal health and future sustainability. For El Cerrito, the trend is clear: while the city has improved its relative standing, the underlying numbers still reflect aContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Pension Burden: Rankings Reveal Troubling Financial Trends #4”
El Cerrito’s $89M Pension Crisis: Misplaced Blame on CalPERS #3
During the May 20, 2025 presentation to the El Cerrito City Council, NHA Advisors—serving as the city’s financial advisor—essentially blamed CalPERS for El Cerrito’s $89 million Unfunded Accrued Liability (UAL), citing underperformance in investment returns. But that explanation doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Other cities relying on CalPERS are not facing pension liabilities near thisContinue reading “El Cerrito’s $89M Pension Crisis: Misplaced Blame on CalPERS #3”
Is El Cerrito Spending Smart—or Just Spending More?
With just 25,000 residents, El Cerrito isn’t the largest city in the Bay Area, but its spending footprint rivals those of much larger communities. For fiscal year 2023–24, El Cerrito’s General Fund expenditures totaled $48.4 million, with $13.5 million allocated to the Police Department and $14.4 million to Fire Services. At first glance, these numbersContinue reading “Is El Cerrito Spending Smart—or Just Spending More?”
El Cerrito’s Unfunded Pension Liability: A Debt That Keeps Growing
City leaders in El Cerrito often attempt to defend the city’s growing unfunded pension liability (UAL) by claiming “it’s not like a mortgage.” And on that point—they’re absolutely right. It’s worse. A mortgage has a fixed payment schedule. You know exactly how much you owe, when it’s due, and how long you’ll be paying. TheContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Unfunded Pension Liability: A Debt That Keeps Growing”
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”
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”
El Cerrito’s Budget: Not as Balanced as It Seems
We told you in April. And now you see for yourselves The City of El Cerrito is preparing to adopt its Fiscal Year 2025–2026 budget. On paper, it’s being presented as “balanced.” But longtime residents and close watchers of the city’s finances know better: this isn’t new, and it certainly isn’t sustainable. In recent years,Continue reading “El Cerrito’s Budget: Not as Balanced as It Seems”
Stop the Scare Tactics: Conduct Staffing Analysis in El Cerrito
As budget season continues, residents of El Cerrito are once again bracing for the all-too-familiar warning: “The sky is falling.” For the fifth year in a row, the city manager has refused to conduct the staffing analysis recommended by the state auditor. This analysis is necessary because of the continued trend of having expenitures outpaceContinue reading “Stop the Scare Tactics: Conduct Staffing Analysis in El Cerrito”
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 