Tuesday’s City Council meeting was another reminder of why El Cerrito residents struggle to trust city leadership. What was presented as a straightforward discussion about the pool quickly turned into something else entirely. Item 9B, titled “Swim Center Lap Pool Renovation Options,” bundled in an entirely separate need — the fire truck replacement. That wasn’tContinue reading “The Bait and Switch on the Agenda”
Tag Archives: politics
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”
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 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 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”
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”
Key Issues Ignored in El Cerrito’s City Report
The City Manager’s monthly report should provide the community with a window into the city’s priorities, challenges, and direction. But the latest installment, released on August 22, falls significantly short. The timing alone is troubling. By the time the report appeared, its headline item—a wildfire preparedness event co-hosted with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks—was already weeks oldContinue reading “Key Issues Ignored in El Cerrito’s City Report”
A History of Broken Promises and Misplaced Priorities
Thank you to the neighbors and community members who continue raising essential questions about how our city spends taxpayer money. It’s not just about one issue—it’s about a decades-long pattern of financial decisions that don’t align with the promises made to voters. Remember Measure D? In 2008, El Cerrito voters approved a 30-year bond (MeasureContinue reading “A History of Broken Promises and Misplaced Priorities”
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”
El Cerrito Moves Forward with Richmond Street Bike Plan—Without Richmond Street residents on Board
On July 15, 2025, the El Cerrito City Council voted to proceed with a controversial redesign of Richmond Street, which eliminates nearly two-thirds of on-street parking. Despite passionate opposition from many residents, the revised plan is moving forward with little interest in compromise from city leadership. Residents who live on Richmond Street say they hadContinue reading “El Cerrito Moves Forward with Richmond Street Bike Plan—Without Richmond Street residents on Board”
Why This El Cerrito Homeowner Is Voting No on the $75 Million Library Tax Petition
Informed by a Concerned Citizen, Homeowner, and Democrat Last month, El Cerrito residents received a city-sponsored “message test” poll about a proposed library tax. But rather than inform the public, the survey seemed more like a carefully crafted sales pitch. A closer look reveals that the proposal is less about building a library and moreContinue reading “Why This El Cerrito Homeowner Is Voting No on the $75 Million Library Tax Petition”
Why El Cerrito Shouldn’t Trust Them with One More Dime
For years, El Cerrito residents have been misled — by City Attorney Sky Woodruff, who quietly shapes how ballot measures are presented, and by former Councilmember Greg Lyman, whose decisions nearly bankrupted the city. Now they’re back, pushing a new library tax through a campaign riddled with misleading claims and questionable tactics. This time, theyContinue reading “Why El Cerrito Shouldn’t Trust Them with One More Dime”
Transparency Theater — The Reality Behind Richmond Street
El Cerrito’s City Manager would like you to believe that the Richmond Street Complete Streets project is a model of transparency and community engagement. In her June newsletter, she thanks residents for attending the June 26 Open House, touting it as a meaningful opportunity for public input. She references nearly a year of outreach, surveys,Continue reading “Transparency Theater — The Reality Behind Richmond Street”
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”
UP TO 80% OF CURBSIDE PARKING ON RICHMOND STREET TO BE REMOVED FOR BIKE LANES
The City of El Cerrito has released the updated Richmond Street Complete Street Project plan—dated Monday, June 9, 2025—and the implications for neighborhood parking are serious. Under the proposed plan, 160 of the 247 current on-street parking spaces along Richmond Street will be permanently removed to make way for dedicated bike lanes. Only 88 spacesContinue reading “UP TO 80% OF CURBSIDE PARKING ON RICHMOND STREET TO BE REMOVED FOR BIKE LANES”
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”
El Cerrito Streets: Promises, Progress, and the Potholes Still Waiting
In 2008, El Cerrito voters passed Measure A, a ballot initiative that promised to fix potholes, repave streets, improve safety, and make our roads accessible for all. The measure authorized the city to incur debt—repaid with a dedicated half-cent sales tax—to jumpstart street repairs. But the potholes and uneven pavement remain. And it’s insufficient toContinue reading “El Cerrito Streets: Promises, Progress, and the Potholes Still Waiting”
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 