El Cerrito runs three fire stations, each with at least one fire engine. A standard fire engine has a 15-year lifespan, and one of El Cerrito’s engines has already reached that limit. According to the Fire Chief, it has required significant and costly repairs and should have been replaced years ago. During the June budgetContinue reading “Leadership Accountability in El Cerrito: Beyond Crisis Management”
Category Archives: public trust
Why El Cerrito Needs a Capital Renewal Plan Now
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”
El Cerrito’s Selective Spending: Expert Voices Without Expertise
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”
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”
💰 Taxing Our Way to Maintaining Services Hasn’t Worked
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 “💰 Taxing Our Way to Maintaining Services Hasn’t Worked”
El Cerrito’s Library Plan: Vague Before the Vote, Decided After
One of the most troubling patterns in El Cerrito’s governance is how little concrete information is shared before voters are asked to approve new taxes — only for detailed plans to surface after the initiative passes, when residents no longer have meaningful leverage. The proposed library tax measure is a prime example. Parking Details: Selective,Continue reading “El Cerrito’s Library Plan: Vague Before the Vote, Decided After”
The People You’re Leaving Behind
(This blog was influenced by a social media post that raised important concerns about how leadership responds to residents.) Mayor Wysinger, Your handling of the Richmond Street project reflects a troubling disregard for the people who are most vulnerable in this city — the elderly, the disabled, and multigenerational families — and a pattern ofContinue reading “The People You’re Leaving Behind”
El Cerrito’s Workplace Standards
El Cerrito’s Leadership Crisis: Culture, Costs, and Consequences El Cerrito is in trouble. Services are declining, costs are rising, and the city’s workplace culture is not productive. This environment doesn’t just erode morale—it drives away top talent and makes recruitment nearly impossible. What’s left is mediocrity at best—and dysfunction at worst. Residents Deserve Better ElContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Workplace Standards”
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”
Libraries are good. This plan isn’t.
El Cerrito deserves a great library—but not at the wrong price. The City’s plan locks residents into $75M+ in new taxes for a ground-floor space in a BART housing project that the City won’t even own. We need a better plan—one that gives El Cerrito a true library, not just another forever tax. 👉 IfContinue reading “Libraries are good. This plan isn’t.”
El Cerrito Library Tax: What It Really Means for Homeowners
El Cerrito is moving forward with plans to place a new library tax on the ballot. The city is trying to keep itself at arm’s length by having former Councilmember Greg Lyman be the face of the measure. But make no mistake—El Cerrito is behind the scenes, pulling the levers. At first glance, the costContinue reading “El Cerrito Library Tax: What It Really Means for Homeowners”
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”
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 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 Library: Public Safety Data Reveals Risks
In August 2019, a consultant hired by the City of El Cerrito flagged several potential issues with building a new library at the Plaza site. Even then, concerns about safety and accessibility were part of the conversation. Fast forward to today, and fresh analysis of police incident data suggests those concerns may have been well-founded.Continue reading “El Cerrito Library: Public Safety Data Reveals Risks”
The Real Reason El Cerrito Isn’t Talking About Unrestricted Reserves Part II
Since FY22–23, El Cerrito’s unrestricted General Fund reserves have been in steady decline. And it’s no accident. Behind the scenes, the City has been quietly drawing down those reserves—while hoping the public won’t notice. Why? Because they’re counting on voters to approve the so-called “Forever Tax” to plug the holes. In 2023, the City CouncilContinue reading “The Real Reason El Cerrito Isn’t Talking About Unrestricted Reserves Part II”
The El Cerrito Democratic Machine Is Failing Us
A micro blog For years, the El Cerrito Democratic Club and its political allies have backed the same cast of characters—Greg Lyman, Gabe Quinto, Carolyn Wysinger, and their revolving-door circle of endorsements. What do they all have in common? A long record of prioritizing their own egos and personal agendas over the real needs ofContinue reading “The El Cerrito Democratic Machine Is Failing Us”
Demanding Honest Climate Leadership
By a Concerned El Cerrito Citizen At the July 15 City Council meeting, something fundamental became painfully clear: the real greenhouse-gas giants—the military-industrial complex, Big Oil and refineries, industrial agriculture, and the chronic underfunding of clean, long-range mass transit—are going unchallenged, while working-class residents, seniors, and disabled individuals on Richmond Street are the ones being askedContinue reading “Demanding Honest Climate Leadership”
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?”
Ask the Right Questions – Get Honest Answers
— El Cerrito’s $100M Library Tax Initiative Deserves Scrutiny As El Cerrito residents gather for the 4th of July Festival—complete with vendor booths, food trucks, and carnival rides—you’ll likely see another attraction: petitioners collecting signatures for the $100 million Library Parcel Tax Initiative. But before you sign anything—or agree to fund a project that bindsContinue reading “Ask the Right Questions – Get Honest Answers”
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 