El Cerrito Wire

The El Cerrito City Council is scheduled to adopt a Local Road Safety Plan and receive a quarterly update on general fund revenues and expenses when it meets Tuesday, Sept.15, 2026. The road plan is designed to reduce crashes, particularly fatal ones. It is required for the city to remain eligible or competitive for transportation grants, according to the staff report.  El Cerrito’s plan includes measures such as: -enforcing a 25-mile speed limit citywide, including by using “automated speed enforcement technology, as soon as it is permitted under state law” and designing roads with the target speed in mind. -adding bike lanes by removing street parking -allowing and encouraging e-bikes while addressing reckless and illegal use -installing speed humps -standardizing intersection design markings and signs The council is also scheduled to authorize the city to accept a $200,000 federal Community Development Block Grant for Americans with Disabilities Act and architectoral improvement...

UPDATE: Livable El Cerrito coverage   UPDATE:  A video of the El Cerrito Library task force meeting Sept. 8 is now available: https://elcerritoca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1382/media   A video of the El Cerrito Library task force meeting Sept. 8 is now available: El Cerrito resident Richard Brooks offers an interesting analysis of the meeting: https://library-force-260908.richardbbrooks.workers.dev/ El Cerrito’s Library Task Force will hold its first meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 at 6 pm in the City Council Chambers. The task force is scheduled to hear a presentation on the history of the library and efforts to improve it, review the responsibilities of the task force, and set a regular meeting schedule. The presentation can be viewed here: https://elcerritoca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1382/files/attachment/8035   The presentation notes that the options for funding a new or renovated library are limited: the city can’t afford to finance it through its general ...

  Richmond police have identified the officer struck by gunfire Sept. 3, 2026 on Key Boulevard as Justin Church, a 25-year veteran of law enforcement. Church was treated at a local trauma center and was released from the hospital at about 3 pm Sept. 4. Police said a second officer was inside a patrol vehicle struck by several rounds of gunfire but was not injured. The suspect has been identified as Jasmine Robinson, 39, of Richmond. Robinson has been charged with attempted murder, assault with an assault weapon on a person, and kidnapping, according to police. The complete press release from Richmond police, updated Sept. 4: At approximately 6:41 p.m. Sept. 3, A3 was contacted regarding a request to conduct a mental health check on an individual in the 2200 block of Key Boulevard. A3 is Contra Costa County’s behavioral health crisis response program. When circumstances present a potential safety concern, A3 may request assistance from law enforcement. Due to the nature of the ...

{press release] RICHMOND - At approximately 6:41 p.m. Sept. 3, A3 was contacted regarding a request to conduct a mental health check on an individual in the 2200 block of Key Boulevard. A3 is Contra Costa County’s behavioral health crisis response program. When circumstances present a potential safety concern, A3 may request assistance from law enforcement. Due to the nature of the call, A3 requested that Richmond Police officers accompany them to the location. When the first officer arrived at the residence, the officer was struck by gunfire. The officer was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment and is in stable condition. The officer is expected to survive. The suspect barricaded inside the residence and continued firing numerous rounds indiscriminately from within the home. Several rounds struck an RPD Patrol vehicle and neighboring residences, but fortunately, no residents or additional personnel were injured. The Richmond Police Department SWAT Team responded w...

El Cerrito police have arrested a second suspect in an Aug. 23, 2026 fatal shooting and now believe a marijuana robbery was the motive. They also now believe the suspect arrested earlier was one of two people who fired shots. Jamir Buckley, 18, of Richmond was arrested on Monday, Aug. 31 in connection with the killing in the parking lot at Potrero and San Pablo avenues, according to a Nixle notice from police. Police suspect him of being the driver of the car in which the three suspects fled. Buckley was found in possession of an illegal assault rifle and high-capacity magazine, police said. Based on “additional forensic examination,” El Cerrito detectives now believe the first suspect they arrested, Jacari Talifero Gibson, 18, of Richmond, was one of two suspects who fired shots. The detectives worked with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office to amend charges against Gibson to include murder, according to police. El Cerrito detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Gibso...

UPDATE: A Sept. 1 message from Arreguin’s office says the state Legislature has approved the funds [press release, revised slightly to reflect that this has not yet been voted on by the legislature, but Stefan Elgstrand, State Senator Jesse Arreguin’s press secretary, called that “a formality.”] Sacramento – Aug. 29 a budget trailer bill was unveiled proposing the allocation of $125 million through the Prop 4 climate bond to support the acquisition of the former Golden Gate Fields property in Albany and Berkeley. The property would be purchased by the Trust for Public Land and transferred to the East Bay Regional Park District.   “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reclaim 161 acres of East Bay waterfront for the public, and we are seizing it,” said State Senator Jesse Arreguin (D-Oakland). “With this $125 million investment, Golden Gate Fields can go from a shuttered racetrack to one of the great waterfront parks in California. For years, our community fought for ...

A question and answer session with candidates for El Cerrito City Council is set for 6 to 8:30 pm Wednesday, Sept. 30 at the Veterans Memorial Building, 6401 Stockton Ave. (near the library and Fairmont Elementary School). The event is co-sponsored by the El Cerrito Senior Action Committee, West Contra Costa Adult Education, and the League of Women Voters. A smaller meet and greet intended for residents who participate in senior programs at Christ Lutheran Church, St. Johns Senior Center, and the El Cerrito Community Center will be held at Christ Lutheran, 780 Ashbury Ave. (near Stockton Avenue) 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Monday, Oct. 12. That event is cosponsored by Adult Ed and the Senior Action Committee. Details are being finalized and will be shared when available. Six candidates - Wally Nowinsky, Forrest Lanning, Mary Ann “MJ” Jawili, Kimberly White and incumbents Gabe Quinto and Carolyn Wysinger - are competing for two four-year seats on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot. For more information a...

Three City Council candidates responded to El Cerrito Wire’s invitation to complete a questionnaire about issues in El Cerrito. Wally Nowinski, Forrest Lanning, and Kimberly White responded to questions about priorities, finances, capital improvement projects, balancing the needs of users of different types of transit, the council’s relationship with the city manager and with boards and commissions, and communicating with residents. The candidates’ responses are posted on the El Cerrito Wire Elections page where they will remain at least through election day, Nov. 3, 2026. Contact information is included at the end of each Q&A.  Candidates were given two weeks to respond and told that late questionnaires would not be accepted. That rule is to ensure no candidates read anyone else’s published response before they prepare their own. Six candidates are vying for two four-year terms. In addition to those who returned the questionnaire, the other candidates are Mary Ann “MJ” Jawi...

UPDATE second arrest   In announcing the arrest of one of the suspects in an Aug. 23 fatal shooting, El Cerrito police said they were able to identify the vehicle they believe was used by the three suspects with the help of other jurisdictions and their Flock and Vigilant cameras. The Flock cameras in El Cerrito, including ones near where the shooting took place, had only recently been removed. A Nixle announcement said El Cerrito detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Jacari Talifero Gibson,18, from Richmond, Aug. 24 and working with Richmond police took him into custody and searched his home. El Cerrito police are still looking for two suspects, one they believe shot the 21-year-old victim and the other they believe drove the vehicle used by the suspects to flee the scene. That vehicle, a 2017 Nissan Maxima, was located the evening of Aug. 24, 2026 by Vallejo police officers, the El Cerrito department reported. Police suspect Gibson of being the lookout in the killing in the s...

UPDATE: Grandview Independent coverage of anti-slur policy The West Contra Costa Unified School District will hear a report on the first day of school when it meets Aug. 26, 2026. Staff will also report on efforts to implement its anti-slur initiative. “The presentation will highlight district wide expectations for preventing and responding to racial slurs, including consistent reporting, investigation, accountability, student and family support, and developmentally appropriate interventions,” according to the agenda. The meeting will be held at DeJean Middle School, 3400 Madonald Ave., Richmond. The public session begins at 6:30 pm Agenda Directions for joining by Zoom and for making comments in person or by Zoom are at the top of the agenda. For links to past education articles, recordings of meetings, PowerSchool, ParentSquare, school websites, lunch menus, after-school care, Q&A with our incoming board member, and more, see school news Photo: El Cerrito High School

From KTVU: Aug. 23 fatal shooting in El Cerrito revives Flock debate   From El Cerrito Police: Arrest in Aug. 23 homicide “Investigators collaborated with regional jurisdictions to identify a license plate for the suspect vehicle, thanks to Flock Safety and Vigilant ALPR cameras.”   At the Aug. 18 El Cerrito City Council meeting, City Manager Karen Pinkos announced that Flock’s failure to remove its cameras from the city by that date as it had promised would be treated as a code violation. In response to a request from El Cerrito Wire for more information, assistant to the city manager Will Provost sent the following on Aug. 21:  “Yesterday, on August 20, 2026, the City of El Cerrito issued a Compliance Order to Flock Group, Inc. pursuant to El Cerrito Municipal Code sections 1.14.040 and 13.12.050(A)-(B), providing formal notice of the City’s revocation of encroachment permits that were previously issued, and notice that Flock must discontinue all activity previously aut...

  By Betty Buginas I don’t know if most El Cerrito residents know the term, but we live in a news desert. We don’t have paid journalists who provide daily reporting on El Cerrito, and this is becoming the norm not the exception. As Rebuild Local News puts it, “Local news is collapsing – threatening the civic well-being of American towns and cities.” Unfortunately, it is not being overly dramatic. El Cerrito Mayor Gabe Quinto, who is seeking reelection to the City Council, recently said people should only get their news from the city, not blogs or Nextdoor. Nextdoor, he said, should only be used for reuniting lost dogs and giving away no-longer-needed strollers. He angrily attacked fellow council member William Ktsanes because Quinto believes Ktsanes “owns one of the blogs.” Other remarks were presumably aimed at another candidate, Kimberly White, who Quinto believes should not have opinions different from his because he appointed her to the Financial Advisory Board. He uses ...