A Bruising Campaign

Two yard signs in the same yard

While many residents have strong feelings about the Measure C library tax measure, a few bad actors have used extreme tactics in attempts to silence the opposition. The proposed tax is on the June 2 ballot. Mail-in ballots to registered voters have already arrived at many homes.

Outside Madera Elementary School

Outside Madera Elementary School’s Open House last month, a man who seemed to be a dad confronted two retired women who had set up a ‘No on C’ campaign table in the public right-of-way in front of the school.

The women were Gina Brusatori, a former City Council member, and Christine Dexter, both of whom live near the school.

“We had a table, a sign taped to the table, a yellow flyer and an editorial clipped to the table,” Brusatori said.

“This fellow in his 40s came over to our table and he’s upset and he started shaking,” she said. “He said, ‘You’re ruining everything, trying to fight the library tax.’ It was blowing a bit so we had binder clips. He unclipped and took our yellow flyer, then unclipped the white page and took that. He started yelling at us, ‘You shouldn’t be here.’”

The man walked away but returned in a few minutes, Brusatori said.

She continued: “Then he came back and he said, ‘You should not be here. This is a school event.’

“Chris said, ‘We’re in the public right-of-way, not on school property.’”

“The man said, ‘You’re terrible, you’re liars.’

“Then a young family came up and said, “Thank you so much for what you’re doing. We support you. It’s okay.”

Brusatori said the encounter “shook us up.”

“It was intimidating and it was uncalled for and it was in front of young children,” Brusatori said. “I was on City Council for nine years and I’m sure there were problems where tempers flared, but I cannot recall the lack of civility and the screaming that was levied at us. The man was just so frustrated.”

The women stayed another half hour at their table and everyone else was polite, she said, either expressing support or not saying anything as they walked by.

Outside the Natural Grocery

Another ‘No on C’ supporter, Michael Coan, had a similar experience when he and another volunteer set up a table outside the Natural Grocery on San Pablo Avenue on April 24. The store often has a table out front with groups seeking funding or votes.

“A woman marched up to us and says, ‘You people should be ashamed of yourselves for what you’re doing,’ Coan recalled. “She went into a tirade about how we hate the library. I tried to say, ‘Could I explain our position?’ She said, ‘No, you can’t.’”

“Then she went into the store and came back out. She came up to us and said, ‘You people sitting here really make me feel afraid.’ Then she walked away. None of us had any idea what she meant. We were kind of flabbergasted by it.”

“Then a store manager came out and he says, ‘Some customers were complaining about you being out here.’ I asked if it was that woman, and he said, ‘Yes. Can you tell me what happened?’ When I explained he kind of patted me on the shoulder and said, ‘You’re okay.’”

“She wanted us to be told we couldn’t be there,” Coan said of the woman.

Shocked By Bad Behavior, Urges Civility

Barbara Chan, a leader of the ‘No on C’ campaign, said there have been thefts of the campaign’s “Library Tax is a Bad Deal for El Cerrito” signs and some bruising encounters on Nextdoor. The two recent incidents stood out even in a campaign where there have been harsh verbal attacks.

“When people first started reporting to me about bad behavior, I said to them, ‘Take a deep breath and don’t let them get your goat. Just be polite, say ‘thank you’ and move on because we need to run our campaign on civility, transparency and accountability.’”

A volunteer who attended a recent ‘No on C’ campaign gathering said Chan emphasized “civility above all.”

Verbal Hostility, Flyer Theft Are New

Greg Lyman, the principal author of Measure C and a former City Council member, said:

“These allegations are concerning. We absolutely do not condone this kind of behavior from anyone involved with our campaign.”

“For transparency, you can review our volunteer guidelines here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AUF8gBUKT6hLyJLZv8NDPJaflL_JiFZphEVLiwpcjpA/edit?tab=t.0

Lyman wrote: “It’s important to acknowledge that tensions have been felt across the community. I have personally experienced verbal hostility at tabling events, and many library supporters have faced bullying online. There have also been instances where individuals have been asked where they live or subjected to personal accusations that cross reasonable boundaries of safety and respect.”

“One of our volunteers reported that a neighbor was removing campaign literature that they had just delivered from multiple front porches. In all of my time walking literature, I have never considered removing rival literature. I have never heard of this behavior before. Our mission, from both sides, should be to educate the voter, not deprive them of information.”

A Community We All Want to Live In

“Our campaign strives to engage respectfully, even when faced with criticism. We believe people can hold different perspectives, and we welcome that. We simply ask that everyone share their views in a way that reflects the kind of community we all want to live in.”