A New Year in the City
- Livable El Cerrito
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
This year it’s the library, folks.
The topic of a new El Cerrito library and a library tax initiative to pay for it dominated the City Council retreat Saturday (Dec. 10). The retreat also provided news about city projects and a forum for council members to voice their opinions on a range of issues.
The first item on the retreat agenda was public comment, and the first speaker was Greg Lyman, a former City Council member, the tax initiative’s author, and treasurer of the Committee for a Plaza Station Library.
Initiative Qualifies for the Ballot
Lyman announced that the library tax initiative has qualified for the ballot in 2026 and urged the audience to support “a dedicated funding source” for a new library. He said the current library at 6510 Stockton is too small, too old, and does not meet current codes and community needs.
While Lyman has long advocated for a library to be built in one of the six apartment buildings planned for the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, he told the City Council and members of the public that the library tax initiative does not specify that any new library must be in that location.
He acknowledged that the city’s strategic plan calls for building a new library on the ground floor of an affordable housing building within the Plaza BART Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Time to ‘Define Library Alternatives’
“The current strategic plan focuses on one alternative,” Lyman said. “I see a need to take time to define alternatives. I’d like to see a new library process funded by a new tax.”
Lyman was followed during public comment by three other advocates for the library tax initiative: Charles Taylor, Michael Fischer, and Georgina Edwards.
In an interview later Saturday, Lyman and Taylor said they received emails late Friday informing them that they had submitted enough valid signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot.
‘Sufficient’ Valid Signatures Certified
City Clerk Holly Charlety certified the petition as sufficient. Her action came after signatures were checked by the county clerk-recorder-elections department. A letter from Charlety said the petition contained 2,177 valid signatures, or 12.99% of registered voters in the city of El Cerrito.
“Getting that email last night was a huge relief,” Lyman said.
“I was so excited,” Taylor said.
Aiming for June 2, 2026
California election code requires that the City Council now place the library tax initiative on a city ballot. The June 2026 election is preferred by supporters.
To add the measure to the June ballot, Lyman said the council would need to take action between 103 and 88 days prior to the June 2, 2026 election date. That time frame is from Feb. 19 to March 5, he said.
Meanwhile, Lyman said the campaign, which is registered as the Committee for a Plaza Station Library, will build a new website with a domain name that does not include the phrase “Plaza Station Library.” Once a letter is assigned to the measure, the new site will use the domain name Yes on Measure (?).
Lyman and Taylor both said more data should be made available about cost estimates for library alternatives as well as about the parking plan and the time frame for the development at the Plaza BART area.
Taylor said: “We don’t know what’s going on with Building C West because Building C East didn’t get funding.”
Taylor was referring to the latest round of funding from the State of California’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC), which previously awarded more than $30 million to a 70-unit affordable housing building at 515 Richmond St. That project was approved earlier than the rest of the development, in April 2023, and is so far the only building at Plaza BART to be funded. Construction on it began Dec. 8.
Expect New Information on Jan. 20
In a separate discussion during the retreat, City Manager Karen Pinkos announced that information about library alternatives will be presented at the City Council meeting set for Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Assistant to the City Manager Will Provost said consultant Griffin Structures developed five scenarios related to a new library and those will be described. The report will be available in a council packet made public on Jan. 15, the Thursday before the meeting.
No Timeline for Parking Plan
Provost said there is no timeline yet for public information about the plan for on-street parking around the Plaza BART area. That plan to “modernize” parking on city streets is meant to address the loss of parking that will occur when all 740 BART parking spaces at El Cerrito Plaza station are removed and 743 new apartments are built there.
Under a $220,000 contract approved in November 2024, Dixon Resources was hired to conduct a parking inventory using drones and license plate readers (LPR), use the company’s LPR tool to analyze data, collaborate with city staff, and manage public engagement. The contract stated that data collection would be done during five different time periods on one weekday and one weekend day.
No Dedicated Library Parking
The city has stated there would be no dedicated parking for the library proposed at Plaza BART.
Provost said Saturday that he and Jarrett Mullen, the city’s Sustainable Transportation Program Manager, were still working on their report about existing conditions in the area and considering “what enforcement tools are best to use.” The timeline for presenting information to the community is still being worked out with the consultant, he said.
Provost added that the parking management plan is “less urgent” because the building known as Parcel C did not receive an award in the most recent round of funding from the California Affordable Housing and Sustainable Transportation program.
City “Not Involved” in the Initiative
In Saturday’s council discussion, City Manager Karen Pinkos said some opponents of the library tax initiative are falsely claiming that the city is involved in the initiative.
“That’s a lie,” she said. “The city is not at all involved in the ballot measure.”
At the same time, Pinkos said, there’s been debate about a new library for years. An attempt to pass a library tax in 2016 failed narrowly, and Pinkos said a recent survey showed a library is “still a high priority in the community.”
In 2016 the library tax measure that lost required a two-thirds majority. In 2026, only a majority of 50% plus one vote will be required to pass because the citizens initiative process was used.
Regardless of what happens with the initiative, Pinkos said, the city “still has work to do” and part of that work is getting information to the community about the potential for a new or modernized library in the city.
“Lies and Half-Truths”
Mayor Gabe Quinto said he hears “lies and half-truths” about library plans and agreed with Pinkos that it’s important for the city to get accurate information out to the public.
Speaking about local government in general, he said: “It’s about the data.” I’ve learned that the hard way.”
Council member Lisa Motoyama said, “I don’t know that we have data. I would want the information packaged and provided to me in a report…How do we get information out when there are things in development?”
Provide Objective Information
Council member William Ktsanes said he wants accurate, objective information about library alternatives to be provided and discussed with the public before the vote on a library tax. If the city does not provide the public with objective information, he said, subjective information will fill the gap.
Pinkos said, “We can’t really have a good discussion without having funding. I think that on the 20th when we provide an update to the community on what we’ve been looking at, (people will see that) there are options.”
The retreat provided information about many other issues including the city budget and finance, recreation, parks, public safety, zoning changes, and supporting small businesses.
A follow-up story will be posted later this week.
Unfortunately the talking points keep changing as more important financial issues keep changing. It seems that using already owned city property would be financially better because we would own it. Possibly remodel the current location? Rent sufficient space with parking (ie. Barns and Noble in the plaza. The current status of this issue is like a crap shoot- too many maybes with a never ending increasing property tax - to be used for library, general fund- who knows. Sounds like what we heard Pelosi say, “You have to pass it if you want to see it”
Give the property owners all the information including timelines; financials (actual and hoped for funding) other locations than BART (because that location will never…
I wonder if the proponents of this library understand how it is funded. You don't manage your personal finances this way but its ok with taxpayer's money?
Outstanding reporting on a difficult issue!
Thanks for the information. Mr. Lyman appears to be hand-in-glove with the City Council members who want this Library Tax. I have read that the Library Tax can & will go on in perpetuity. I have also rea that the tax moneys can also be used for other projects, that there is no restriction on the money being used for a Library Project only. I have also read that there will be no restriction on the rate & that the current $0.17 can be raised ad infinitum. Property owners should not have to deal with smoke & mirrors. Please advise if any of this information is incorrect.