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”
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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”
Walking Richmond Street — A Community Journey
This Fourth of July weekend, while many are celebrating with barbecues and fireworks, one El Cerrito resident is inviting neighbors to celebrate in a quieter, more reflective way. Mimu Tsujimura, a local resident and gentle presence in our community, is offering something both simple and profound: a series of walking conversations on Richmond Street. HerContinue reading “Walking Richmond Street — A Community Journey”
Richmond Street: The Train Has Left the Station
Informed by a concerned citizen Yesterday on June 26, 2025, El Cerrito management presented their vision for the Richmond Street project—and if you missed the meeting, you can watch the recording here: 🔗 Watch the Presentation 📊 View the Survey Results Let’s start with the good news. There were a few bright spots: Public EngagementContinue reading “Richmond Street: The Train Has Left the Station”
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 🌐”
El Cerrito’s Library Initiative: A Costly Gamble with Uncertain Benefits
The City of El Cerrito has proposed a new initiative that could dramatically reshape the city’s financial landscape and impose a significant burden on property owners. This initiative, known as the El Cerrito Library Initiative, seeks to fund the planning, construction, and furnishing of a modern library in El Cerrito. At first glance, the measureContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Library Initiative: A Costly Gamble with Uncertain Benefits”
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”
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”
The Brown Act: What El Cerrito Residents Should Know About Public Comment
If you’ve ever attended a City Council meeting in El Cerrito, you’ve likely heard the City Clerk say something like, “The Council cannot respond to public comment.” It sounds final, almost like it’s against the law for elected officials to engage. But here’s the truth: there’s no law in the Brown Act that prohibits theContinue reading “The Brown Act: What El Cerrito Residents Should Know About Public Comment”
March 18th City Council Meeting: A Closer Look at Consent Calendar Item E
The City of El Cerrito, like many municipalities, manages a complex budget with competing priorities. While some items seem routine, a closer look often reveals significant financial decisions that deserve public scrutiny. One such item on the recent consent calendar—Item E—raises important questions about fiscal responsibility and transparency. Typically, consent calendar items cover routine mattersContinue reading “March 18th City Council Meeting: A Closer Look at Consent Calendar Item E”
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”
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’s Reserve Fund: A Strong Safety Net or a Leaky Bucket?
The City of El Cerrito plans to dip into its reserves once again, this time pulling another $1.1 million from what it claims is a “strong” reserve fund. What they don’t say is this action reduces unrestricted reserves from $12.4 million to $11.3 million The repeated use of reserves is the exact same practice thatContinue reading “El Cerrito’s Reserve Fund: A Strong Safety Net or a Leaky Bucket?”
El Cerrito Wins CSMFO Budget Award: What Does It Really Mean?
El Cerrito recently received a budget award from the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers (CSMFO), a recognition that may appear to reflect sound financial management. However, it is important to understand what this award actually measures—and more importantly, what it does not. What is the CSMFO Budget Award? The CSMFO budget award is grantedContinue reading “El Cerrito Wins CSMFO Budget Award: What Does It Really Mean?”
El Cerrito Library Campaign Faces Major Setback
The long-debated plan to construct a new library in El Cerrito Plaza has encountered yet another delay, raising concerns about transparency, fiscal responsibility, and the city’s priorities. Shifting Deadlines and Unseen Data In 2023, residents were told that a $300-per-year forever tax was necessary to fund the new library and that the deadline for passingContinue reading “El Cerrito Library Campaign Faces Major Setback”
Understanding El Cerrito’s Check Register Limitations – microblog
The City of El Cerrito recently released its monthly disbursement and check register. While such reports might seem like a step toward transparency, they offer little insight into the city’s financial health. A check register is merely a list of payments made within a specific time frame, without providing any context about the overall budget,Continue reading “Understanding El Cerrito’s Check Register Limitations – microblog”
The Cost of Public Safety in El Cerrito: Balancing Effectiveness and Fiscal Responsibility
In El Cerrito, our police and fire departments play a critical role in ensuring community safety. From responding to emergencies to taking preventative measures like fire inspections and crime deterrence, their work is essential. However, the cost and effectiveness of staffing these critical services require closer scrutiny, especially given the city’s ongoing financial challenges. TheContinue reading “The Cost of Public Safety in El Cerrito: Balancing Effectiveness and Fiscal Responsibility”
Making Property Taxes Fair in El Cerrito: A Call for Balance and Affordability
El Cerrito is at a crossroads. As property taxes, sales tax, and now a proposed $300 parcel tax continue to rise, many homeowners feel squeezed by the financial burden of living here. The question is not just about funding vital services—it’s about ensuring that the people who already call El Cerrito home can afford toContinue reading “Making Property Taxes Fair in El Cerrito: A Call for Balance and Affordability”
A Transparency Issue Beyond Just Numbers
Residents tuning into El Cerrito’s much-anticipated audit presentation were met with a frustrating and concerning reality: they simply couldn’t hear it. Those in attendance at the council chamber struggled to catch the details, while remote listeners missed most of the discussion entirely. What makes this situation even more perplexing is that earlier commentary during theContinue reading “A Transparency Issue Beyond Just Numbers”
El Cerrito Committee for Responsible Government (ECCRG) 