The City of El Cerrito has released its FY 2025 budget document, providing a detailed look at the fiscal year 2024 financial data. A quick glance reveals a concerning trend: the city’s spending continues to outpace its revenue, leading to significant deficits. Notably absent from the budget is any mention of how the city plansContinue reading “El Cerrito Budget Update: Explosive Growth in Spending”
Tag Archives: Pension
Understanding the El Cerrito Plaza Parking Dilemma
A concerned citizen reported that during the council meeting on November 19, 2019, there was a discussion about providing 63 parking spaces for the new library. This figure was referenced in the RFQ (Request for Qualifications) that developers had to respond to, and it seems that it was the city’s consultants who came up withContinue reading “Understanding the El Cerrito Plaza Parking Dilemma”
Stepping Up to Serve: A Guide to Running for El Cerrito City Council
Preparedness for Running for El Cerrito City Council Embarking on a political campaign requires not just passion and dedication but also a solid foundation of skills and knowledge. If you’re contemplating a run for the El Cerrito City Council, taking the time to properly prepare yourself can make a significant difference in the effectiveness andContinue reading “Stepping Up to Serve: A Guide to Running for El Cerrito City Council”
El Cerrito City Council Budget Study: A Closer Look at Community Concerns and Financial Management Challenges
On Tuesday, Will Provost, Assistant to the City Manager, and Claire Coleman, the newly appointed Budget/Financial Services Manager, presented the El Cerrito City Council Budget Study. Their presentation highlighted efforts to solicit community feedback and input and conveyed a robust plan for navigating the next two fiscal years. The city has notably increased public engagementContinue reading “El Cerrito City Council Budget Study: A Closer Look at Community Concerns and Financial Management Challenges”
El Cerrito’s Financial Claims: Let’s Look Closer
El Cerrito, recognized for its dynamic community, strategic location, and picturesque settings. The City Manager Karen Pinkos maintains that the city’s financial health is strong, but a closer examination suggests a more complicated financial reality. Detailed Financial Assessment The city’s reported $15.7 million in total reserves masks underlying issues, particularly the distinction between restricted andContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Financial Claims: Let’s Look Closer”
Improving the Engagement and Transparency of El Cerrito’s Leadership: Addressing Broken Promises and the Path Forward
El Cerrito’s leadership has consistently made promises to enhance community living through the development of a new library, a senior center, and better overall services. These assurances have come from elected officials who have pledged their commitment to the well-being of El Cerrito residents. However, the reality of these commitments has come into question, particularlyContinue reading “Improving the Engagement and Transparency of El Cerrito’s Leadership: Addressing Broken Promises and the Path Forward”
El Cerrito’s Financial Struggles and Community Concerns: An Overview of Recent Debates and Decisions
Next Tuesday’s city council meeting has been canceled with no explanation provided. Last week’s budget workshop was not recorded on video, and during this session, the community raised several probing questions about the city’s finances. The City Manager had to revise earlier statements about salary freezes, clarifying that these were temporary measures affecting mainly non-representedContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Financial Struggles and Community Concerns: An Overview of Recent Debates and Decisions”
The Misguided Motivations Behind Pursuing Local Government Roles: A Closer Look
The journey into local government is often paved with good intentions. At the heart of many decisions to run for local office is a simple, powerful desire to help. This motivation, pure and commendable in its essence, is the driving force behind countless campaigns and initiatives. Yet, the landscape of local governance is rife withContinue reading “The Misguided Motivations Behind Pursuing Local Government Roles: A Closer Look”
Four + Years of Financial Mismanagement and Missed Opportunities
El Cerrito’s Unresolved Crisis: “Four Years of Financial Mismanagement and Missed Opportunities” sheds additional light on the city’s persistent inability to navigate its financial quagmire, highlighting a series of missteps and inaction by city leadership. Despite several years of clear indicators of fiscal distress and specific recommendations by the independent auditor for reform, the CityContinue reading “Four + Years of Financial Mismanagement and Missed Opportunities”
El Cerrito’s Compensation Study: Methodological Concerns and the Need for Comprehensive Analysis
Adjacent to Albany, where employees adhere to a standard 40-hour work week, El Cerrito’s staff operates under a 37.5-hour work schedule. This lower threshold of 37.5 hours not only leads to a 6% manpower shortfall for the city but also appears to encourage a cycle of justifications for not appropriately engaging stakeholders in relevant discussionsContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Compensation Study: Methodological Concerns and the Need for Comprehensive Analysis”
The March 5, 2024 Budget Discussion: Yet, Another Missed Opportunity for Essential Inquiry
The budget discussion led by City Staff on March 5, 2024, was presented with precision and assurance. The speaker, endowed with impressive vocal quality and presentation skills navigated the topic. However, the presentation was somewhat perplexing and deliberately evaded several significant financial and related topics. This meeting presented a crucial chance for the Council toContinue reading “The March 5, 2024 Budget Discussion: Yet, Another Missed Opportunity for Essential Inquiry”
Classification and Compensation Study: El Cerrito’s Missed Opportunity
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, during a City Council meeting, a detailed presentation was given on the classification and compensation study aimed at evaluating the city’s salary structure in comparison with other public entities. Before this presentation was made to the public, the City Council, including the Mayor, was briefed in a closed session. ThisContinue reading “Classification and Compensation Study: El Cerrito’s Missed Opportunity”
El Cerrito Insider Gets Special Treatment – a microblog
At the Tuesday City Council meeting in El Cerrito, the community turnout was significant, with many attendees eager to share their thoughts on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. The anticipation in the air shifted as the mayor announced a reduction in speaking time from three minutes to a brisk two. As speakers reached the new time limit,Continue reading “El Cerrito Insider Gets Special Treatment – a microblog”
El Cerrito’s Fiscal Dilemma: Navigating Budget Adjustments Amid Declining Reserves
Tuesday’s City Council meeting highlighted proposed midyear budget adjustments. A key point in the discussion is the staff’s suggestion to lower the expected property transfer tax revenue by $1 million due to a downturn. Notably, there’s no mention of a corresponding expense reduction. Instead, City Staff recommended general fund withdrawal of $1 million. While theContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Fiscal Dilemma: Navigating Budget Adjustments Amid Declining Reserves”
Evaluating the Track Records of Councilmembers Wysinger and Quinto in the Primary Elections
As the primary elections draw near, voters in Contra Costa County face important decisions regarding their representation on the Democratic Central Committee, District 1. Among the contenders are Carolyn Wysinger and Gabriel (Gabe) Quinto, both of whom currently serve on the City Council with terms set to conclude in 2026. Their tenure and actions whileContinue reading “Evaluating the Track Records of Councilmembers Wysinger and Quinto in the Primary Elections”
El Cerrito Quietly Renews City Manager’s Contract
On October 3, 2023, Resolution 2023-77 was quietly and unanimously passed by the City Council. The renewal included a hefty $450 car allowance although the City Manager lives in El Cerrito, a few miles from City Hall. In a recent turn of events, the City Manager, fresh off a contract renewal, displayed questionable judgment. Notably,Continue reading “El Cerrito Quietly Renews City Manager’s Contract”
Challenging Financial Oversight: A Critique of El Cerrito’s Budget Reporting Practices – Editor’s note below
Editor’s Note: Following the publication of this blog post, the City of El Cerrito staff made updates to the quarterly performance reports. These reports feature tables detailing revenue and expense categories, complete with annotations regarding budget percentages. This update is undeniably a positive move forward. The City Council Packet for Tuesday’s meeting was released today. Continue reading “Challenging Financial Oversight: A Critique of El Cerrito’s Budget Reporting Practices – Editor’s note below”
El Cerrito’s Fiscal Oversight: Missed Opportunities and the Urgent Need for Strategic Staffing and Pension Reform
In March 2023, the state auditor recommended that El Cerrito should evaluate its staffing levels prior to undertaking the Classification and Compensation Study. Despite this advice, El Cerrito proceeded to solicit proposals for a comprehensive classification and compensation study. This study aims to assess the city’s organizational structure, compensation practices, and policies. The outcome ofContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Fiscal Oversight: Missed Opportunities and the Urgent Need for Strategic Staffing and Pension Reform”
Calimesa Leads the Way: A Bold Solution to El Cerrito’s Fiscal Crisis
Calimesa Leads the Way: A Bold Solution to El Cerrito’s Fiscal Crisis El Cerrito faces an unfunded liability reported at $85 million, an amount surpassing its annual budget. The unfunded liability is the amount owed for pension costs that El Cerrito has not paid. With the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) applying a 6.8%Continue reading “Calimesa Leads the Way: A Bold Solution to El Cerrito’s Fiscal Crisis”
The Impact of Budget Amendments on City’s Financial Health
On Tuesday, the City Council authorized an expenditure that further narrows the financial safety net of our city, a resolution has been proposed to amend the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 Adopted Budget and Capital Improvement Program. This action involves the allocation of $1,084,800 from the General Fund Unrestricted Fund Balance towards several park and facilityContinue reading “The Impact of Budget Amendments on City’s Financial Health”
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 