Library Tax News
- Livable El Cerrito
- Nov 6
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 6
As proponents of a library tax initiative continue gathering signatures to qualify their measure for the ballot in 2026, opponents are trying to engage residents who will support a formal campaign against the measure.
Little Doubt That Measure Will Qualify
As of Nov. 5, it seemed almost certain that the measure will qualify for a future ballot.
Signature gathering has been going on since the July 4th weekend, with supporters needing signatures of about 1,780 voters, or 10 percent of the 17,774 registered voters in the city of El Cerrito.
If passed, the initiative would authorize a tax of 17 cents per square foot of improved building area per year for a new library. That amounts to $340 per year on a 2,000 square foot house or $255 per year on a 1,500 square foot house. This would apply to all building types and there would be a tax of $100 per year on each vacant parcel. The proposal also allow the City Council to increase the tax annually based on a cost of living index.
A Plaza Station Library
The measure does not state that the library must be built as part of the El Cerrito Plaza Transit-Oriented Development, which initiative author Greg Lyman believes that is the best site. Building a library at Plaza BART is a goal in the city’s strategic plan.
Successful Signature Efforts
Lyman, a former City Council member and treasurer of the Committee for a Plaza Station Library, said on Nov. 2 that his group had gathered 2,200 signatures by Oct. 31. But he found that some signatures are duplicates and others were signed with nicknames, not the full name matching voter registration records. Lyman said the new goal is 2,400 signatures.
Lyman’s group was very visible at a meeting Nov. 5 in the Plaza BART station about construction plans for the area.
At Pop-Up BART Meeting
Lyman’s group was very visible at a meeting Nov. 5 in the Plaza BART station about construction plans for the area.
The group set up a table a few feet away from displays provided by BART, project developer Related Companies, the project architect, and El Cerrito’s sustainable transportation manager, Jarrett Mullen. Lyman was joined by a small team of signature-collecting volunteers, including Steven Price and Janet Byron, co-founders of El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk and Roll.
Next Steps to Place on 2026 Ballot
Submitting the signed petitions to City Clerk Holly Charlety will happen in late November or December, Lyman said. The deadline is Dec. 15.
Once the signatures on the petitions are verified, a City Council vote will be needed to choose a date to have the initiative on the ballot.
Opposition Meeting Drew 25 People
Meanwhile, opponents of the library tax measure attracted about 25 people to a meeting held Nov. 3 at El Cerrito Royale assisted living.
The meeting was organized by El Cerrito residents Barbara Chan and Wally Nowinski, who said they were pleased to see people who are informed and concerned about the initiative.
“It was good to be among a crowd of very enthusiastic people who are willing to help out,” Chan said after the meeting.
Chan and Nowinski have been criticizing the plan on Nextdoor for months and last month they started speaking to groups around town.
They described their concerns about the library initiative, many of which have also been stated on Nextdoor, in a flyer they are distributing, and at previous talks at locations where seniors meet to socialize.
“How Do We Fight City Hall?”
Most people at the Nov. 3 meeting seemed to know about the initiative. Several asked how they could help to stop it from passing.
David Shirazi said he has lived in El Cerrito for 28 years and recently looked at all the taxes on his property tax bill. He said a new library is not needed.
“The question is, ‘How do we fight City Hall?’’ he said.
City “Not Involved” in Initiative
While city officials and staff stress that they are not involved in the initiative, the plan to build a new library on the ground floor of an apartment building at the El Cerrito Plaza Station has been supported by city management and most City Council members since at least 2019.
Rather than being placed on the ballot by the City Council, which would require approval by two-thirds of voters, the measure is a citizens’ initiative which is being independently organized by Lyman. If placed on the ballot, it would take only 50% plus one vote to approve.
Opponents Use Online Petition to Gather Contacts
Chan and Nowinski have started an online petition for those who don’t support the library tax initiative. At the Nov. 3 meeting at El Cerrito Royale, a long-time resident of Richmond Street asked what Chan and Nowinski hope to achieve.
They said the list will be useful to contact people if they later launch volunteer activities or a formal campaign, and urged people to sign up.
The next questions were: Will the measure make it to the ballot, and what will the counter-campaign be if it does.
Nowinski said, “We are very likely to form a campaign committee. Part of what we are doing here is finding out if there is interest in helping with donations or volunteer work.
“I Think It’s Beatable”
“We’re assuming that Greg Lyman will get enough signatures and turn them in,” Nowinski said. “It’s likely the measure will qualify. If that happens, I think it’s beatable.”
Nowinski continued, “There’s a prevailing assumption that if it gets on the ballot, it passes. I don’t agree.”
Nowinski gave three reasons. First, a library tax measure failed once in 2016 and support has been dropping. Second, he said, a poll done on behalf of the city in May provided participants with 10 positive statements and only two negative statements. That means the poll most likely overstated support. Third, finances are tighter now than in many years.
Several residents said they are ready to campaign against the initiative.
“Let’s talk strategy right now,” said Dianne, a long-time resident. “What would be really effective is if we could get out this message about the cost. For many people it’s still a vague thing.”
While some people at the meeting seemed to oppose any new library, others said they believe an updated library is needed. Chan and Nowinski said they support a new library – but not one funded through this initiative.
How Would 'Loopholes' Affect Funding Long Term?
Chan, who has lived in El Cerrito since 1987, said there is not enough voter control of spending because of the way the initiative is designed.
Two specific concerns are:
The City Council could approve a tax increase every year based on a cost of living index.
The tax can be used for the first 10 years after library construction to cover the city’s operating costs for the library building, including utilities, maintenance, and extra hours.
After the first 10 years, there is no statement in the initiative about how operating costs would be paid.
Chan said the city has a history of passing taxes and then asking voters to extend them with promises of achieving a specific goal. But when it comes time to fund projects, the money is not available.
Lack of Tax Money for Swimming Pool Over Time
She said the city’s current challenge of trying to fund $4.2 million in swim center work is the most recent example of this. The city passed one property tax to rebuild the pool in 1999 and in 2019 extended pool funding by approving a $60 per parcel permanent tax to fund the pool and parks.
Now that major repairs are needed at the pool, it appears that revenue from Measure H is not available to fund pool repairs, Chan said.
(At the Oct. 21 City Council meeting, City Manager Karen Pinkos said when Measure H was approved, it was stated that funding could be used for parks as well as the pool. She said Measure H generates about $600,000 a year and is currently being used for swim center maintenance and for park and recreation operations and maintenance.)
Chan argues that, with the proposed library tax funding only 10 years of the city’s operating expenses, it’s probable the city will need to ask voters to approve more tax money to keep the library funded.
Library Tax “Will Go Down”
Lyman disagrees.
On Nov. 5, he said that he believes the tax will be lower than the authorized 17 cents per square foot. He said the City Council is prohibited from setting a tax rate higher than 115% of cost. And he argued that the tax will go down after 10 years because the city’s operating costs for the library will no longer be paid from the library tax.
One reason Lyman put a limit of 10 years on the city paying the new library’s operating costs is he expects the county to pick up a key cost.
That is the cost of expanding library hours from 40 hours, currently funded by the county, to 56 hours a week.
For the first 10 years after the library is built, the city would pay county librarians for an extra 16 hours a week, Lyman said.
Possible County Sales Tax To Expand Library Hours
Lyman said a staff member in the Contra Costa County Librarian’s office told him that the county “wants to get to funding 56 hours a week in all county libraries and they plan to do it with an increase in the sales tax.”
Chan and Nowinski said that county funding for extra library hours is not a certainty.
“The only guarantee if this passes is that property owners will pay higher taxes,” Nowinski said.
More information is available from both groups.
To contact proponents: https://c4psl.org/
To contact opponents: https://www.nomoreforevertax.org/
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