El Cerrito Wire

Photo: Former site of Portola Middle School The recommendations of a committee in another Bay Area school district may provide some insight into the options available to the West Contra Costa Unified School District as it looks into what to do with the former site of Portola Middle School in El Cerrito and three other properties. Although the details of the properties in the two districts differ, both will have to follow the same complex state regulations. In its presentation to the Santa Rosa City Schools board on May 27, that district’s 7-11 committee recommended the district pursue 99-year leases with housing developers for four sites. For two other sites, the committee recommended delaying action for 3 to 5 years, in part to provide time to possibly work out some kind of deal for the properties with the city of Santa Rosa. Leasing rather than selling the land would provide the school district with ongoing income and more flexibility in how it spends those funds. If the land is sold...

El Cerrito’s Measure C failed to get the 50% plus one vote needed to pass in any El Cerrito precinct.  The highest percent of Yes votes was cast in precinct 104, where 43% of voters voted yes. Precinct 104 includes the El Cerrito Plaza. The tax would have been earmarked for spending on a new library, and city plans call for a new library to be built at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. The lowest percent of Yes votes, excluding a precinct where only 39 votes were cast, was in precinct 106, at the opposite end of town. In precinct 106, 22% of voters voted in favor. However, the distribution of renters in El Cerrito may have had the greatest impact on the breakdown of Yes and No votes by precinct. A map produced by Redistricting Partners for the city in connection with the transition to district elections shows the distribution of renters. Precinct 104 has a high concentration of renters.  There is also a high concentration of renters in precinct 107, which generally follows al...

On the final day of El Cerrito Recreation’s week-long Cardboard Arcade Camp, children and adult visitors try out the games made by campers. A wide variety of city summer camp programs continue through Aug. 14 at various locations across El Cerrito. There is no camp on Friday, July 3, in honor of independence Day.  There are all-day camps that include swimming and field trips. Other camps run three hours morning or afternoon, including junior lifeguarding, tennis, chemistry for kids, chess, dance, ukulele, bees, recycled treasures, textile arts, paper crafts, volleyball, and Slimetopia.  Summer camp guide   Registration    Earlier post featuring Mr. Lego

  Note: map key/vendor list updated June 29. El Cerrito’s biggest event of the year is coming on the Fourth of July from 11 am to 5 pm at Cerrito Vista Park, with a warm-up presentation Friday, July 3, from 5 to 7 pm featuring MC worldOnelove at the same location. The annual City of El Cerrito and worldOne July 4th Festival features world-class music, a classic car showcase, community booths, food, drinks, and rides. Admission is free, with individual costs for vendors and attractions. To buy ride tickets or a wristband for rides in advance go to the city’s on-line registration site  and search “festival”. worldOne Main Stage Schedule: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Keale - Hawaiian 12:40 PM – 1:40 PM: Paul Yonemura Quintet - jazz 2:20 PM – 3:20 PM: Charlie Torch- Americana + Grass 4:00 PM – 5:10 PM: Bongo Sidibe and the Ton Tons - West African Also featuring  DJs Jose Ruiz of MundoMuzik, Gregg McVicar of UnderCurrents, and MC worldOnelove, and field artists Circus Modern - strolli...

  The West Contra Costa Unified School District board at its June 24 meeting unanimously approved a budget for 2026-27 with only brief discussion. The board was more divided on a resolution that calls for one-time funds and reserves to be used in 2027-28 and 2028-29 to head off additional cuts. The vote on the resolution was 3-2, with Leslie Reckler and Jamela Smith-Folds voting no. Without the use of the one-time funds and reserves the district faces $14.2 million in reductions in each of 2027-28 and 2028-29. There was consensus that the district has already undergone painful reductions in its 2026-27 budget, with supporters of the resolution wanting to head off even more reductions on top of those. The two school board members opposed to the resolution expressed concern about the school district’s long-term fiscal solvency, with the district leaving itself unprepared for possible increased costs and the possible failure of a parcel tax renewal on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot. The scho...

UPDATE: all of the ports are activated One of the two-port electric vehicle charging stations at the Community Center is now activated, with one of the ports set aside for vehicles with a disability license plate or placard. A second two-port charging station has not yet been activated because work on the parking lot is not complete. Each of the four charging ports can handle both NACS (Tesla) and J1772 connectors. The spot with the blue access logo is labeled “van EV charging only.” However, city spokesman Will H. Provost said in an email that while the spot is only for people with the plate or placard, and it is only for charging, they do not have to be in a van. Drivers who don’t qualify that park there would face the same penalties they do for parking in other blue spots. The spaces are not restricted to city vehicles, but Provost said the city is expecting delivery soon of an EV paratransit van for the city’s Easy Ride program that will use the spot. The Easy Ride program provides...

“Insects: Fractal Flourish” by Gail Morrison is featured through July 30 in the  Gallery Space at El Cerrito City Hall. According to the city website, Morrison  is a printmaker who lives in Richmond.  A note next to the display explains that the images began as pen-and-ink drawings, which were then scanned into a computer where their environments were created digitally. The Gallery Space is the loft hallway on the second floor above the lobby of El Cerrito City Hall, overlooking the lobby. More information about Morrison and the Gallery Space on the city website

Filing will open July 13 for two West Contra Costa Unified School District board positions. One is Area 5, which includes El Cerrito, Kensington, and parts of Richmond. That seat is currently held by Leslie Reckler.  The second seat on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot is Area 4, currently held by Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy. (See image for that area.) The deadline for filing nomination documents is Aug. 7. If the incumbent does not file by that deadline, the nomination period will be extended until Aug.12 for other candidates for that area’s seat. The filing of nomination documents is handled through Contra Costa County Elections Division in Martinez. If a candidate wishes to have a candidate statement included in the voter information guide, they need to pay $745 for Area 4 and $898 for Area 5 to cover printing and mailing costs. Information from the Contra Costa County Elections Division, which handles filing for the West Contra Costa Unified Schoool District     Fair Political Practi...

The WCCUSD 7-11 Committee that toured the former site of Portola Middle School June 22 was convened by the school district to come up with recommendations for possible uses of four closed school sites. The properties are the former Portola Middle School site below Navellier between Portola and Moeser in El Cerrito, Adams Middle School at 5000 Patterson Circle in East Richmond Heights, the Harmon Knolls site in Richmond, and the Seaview site in Tara Hills. The Portola site being studied by the committee does not include the flat portion at the bottom. The school district originally wanted to build a new middle school on the Portola site, but because of slide danger the state said it was not safe to rebuild there. Instead, the district moved the Portola students temporarily to portable buildings on what had been the school’s playfield, closed Castro Elementary School, and built a new middle school there. The middle school is now called Korematsu Middle School. The portable buildings on t...

Water conservation in your garden will be the topic of the first talk in a Summer Speaker Series by the UC Master Gardener on Saturday, June 27 at 11 am. The talk will be at Pacific Oaks Community Garden, 7250 Portola Drive, El Cerrito, the property that formerly held Portola Middle School. Sign ups are not required. Here are the details: What if we told you that mulch could cut your water use by at least a third and build soil that resists both drought and deluge? Join us as we share simple water-conserving actions you can take to ensure thriving and bountiful gardens, no matter how little or how much water shows up. The talk starts at 11 and goes until about noon. Bring a hat and wear sturdy shoes. If you have a camp chair that is easy to transport, consider bringing it along as there are a limited number of chairs available at the garden. The rest of the events in the series: July 25 — Gardening with CA Natives/Pollinator Gardens Are you inspired to plant California natives but over...

Photo: Portola Middle School demolition in November 2012. Read an update on this article The Portola Middle School site in El Cerrito will be the first stop on a tour for media and community members the evening of June 22. The group will then tour Adams Middle School in East Richmond Heights, and end with a meeting of the  West Contra Costa Unified School District 7-11 Committee  at the Serra campus, a few blocks from Adams. The WCCUSD 7-11 Committee has been convened by the school district to determine whether four previously closed school sites should be declared surplus in order to be sold or leased, which would generate revenue for the district, or whether they should be used for another purpose, such as workforce housing or other public use.  Attendees are advised to wear close-toed shoes, as the Portola site is unpaved.  Schedule: 5:30pm - Portola Site Tour: 7250 Portola Drive, El Cerrito. Tour will begin at the UC Berkeley Garden entrance on Portola Drive, eas...

Screenshot from a 2026 El Cerrito City Council meeting The nomination period to fill two El Cerrito City Council seats opens July 13. This is the final time council members will be elected citywide in El Cerrito. Although the City Council is expected to decide July 7 on how to split the city into five districts for election of council members, the entire process will not be finalized in time for the Nov. 3, 2026 vote. Both City Council members elected in this race will serve four years. Candidates for the three seats open in 2028 will need to live within the districts in which they are running and will only be voted on by residents of their districts. Once the City Council selects a district map, it will decide which three districts will elect council members in 2028. In 2030, the other two council members will be elected by their districts. For the upcoming election, the terms of Carolyn Wysinger and Gabe Quinto are expiring. El Cerrito does not have term limits, so they are eligible ...

  Agenda for school board meeting Wednesday, June 24. The board is scheduled to adopt a budget (see item D2). >Images from budget presentation in the board packet showing planned cuts, above, and decline and enrollment, below. 

Ian McAvoy of Off the Block STEM, aka Mr. Lego, does the final assembly of a tower constructed by children in his El Cerrito Recreation summer camp on Thursday, June 18. There is no camp Friday, June 19 in honor of Juneteenth. A wide variety of city summer camp programs continue through Aug. 14, including more Lego camps most weeks. There are also all-day sports camps and all-day camps that include swimming and field trips. Other camps like the Lego camps run three hours morning or afternoon, including junior lifeguarding, tennis, art, song writing, improv, gymnastics, slime, Stop Motion Flix, Lil Ninja Warrior Camp, Slim Chance Circus Camp, Spy Camp, and more. Summer camp guide   Registration     Off the Block STEM

This map was created by Redistricting Partners, the firm hired to help El Cerrito create districts for electing city council members. It shows the distribution of renters in El Cerrito. Cities have to follow certain criteria when they create voting districts. One of those criteria is keeping together “communities of interest” - residents who have something in common. Clustering together renters in one or more districts is one of the most frequently used communities of interest. The City Council is expected to vote July 7 on a map dividing the city into five districts and to decide which three districts will select their council members first. Beginning with the 2028 election, council candidates must live in a particular district and be elected by voters in that district only. The two maps the city is currently considering cluster renters into two districts, generally along San Pablo Avenue: Map A2 Map C3 (Scroll down within each link past the map for more information.) Cities throughou...

By Betty Buginas This message will be submitted to the city clerk prior to the July 7 city council meeting as public comment for inclusion with the meeting materials. Written public comments are posted online by the city with the meeting documents . [UPDATE: No public comment for items not on the agenda scheduled for July 7; This will be submitted for a future meeting when public comments on items not on the agenda are accepted.] I am writing to support the comments made by Council Member William Ktsanes at the June 16 City Council meeting. Ktsanes speaks for many El Cerrito residents when he says he wants the city to manage its finances more responsibly and begin budgeting for much-needed improvements, such as a new public safety building, community center repairs, and to support El Cerrito seniors. He was spot on when he said the city needs to show a good faith effort to set aside funds for important needs before it comes back to voters to ask for more money. What was most sh...