Opinion: Why Measure C won’t go away and how the El Cerrito City Council can lead the healing
By Betty Buginas
After 70% of El Cerrito voters turned down the Measure C tax, I’ve been waiting to see the reaction of the City Council, given four of its five members - Carolyn Wysinger, Rebecca Saltzman, Lisa Motoyama, and Gabe Quinto - heavily promoted it.
It’s been a month and a half, and I’m still waiting.
The City of El Cerrito Strategic Plan 2024–2029 still includes “create a downtown community hub anchored by the Plaza Transit-Oriented Development and a new library.”
The city website still says “City staff are continuing to discuss the terms for including a library on the ground floor of the affordable housing building at the corner of Liberty and Fairmount.”
On June 16, the council rejected a proposal by Council Member William Ktsanes to begin setting aside funds for major projects like the library, public safety building, community center, and a senior center.
The council is starting a library task force, but there doesn’t seem to be a comparable effort to address those other needs or any comprehensive plan for paying for any of it. The makeup of the task force is not representative of the viewpoints of the community.There’s been talk in the community about healing the division over Measure C, but the same arguments and emotions creep into the conversation.
There will be no healing until the people who backed the measure acknowledge that 70% of voters rejected their plan and understand why.
By writing a dodgy tax measure and pitching it in a highly emotional and fact-starved campaign, tax backers - and city officials were heavily enmeshed in this process - created this division. The rest of the community had no choice but to go along with a bad proposal or fight it.
The City Council needs to lead the healing. It can’t do that by ignoring the election results or casting opponents as tax haters, library haters, or the misinformed.
Council members, when you officially accept the results of the vote on July 21, show you heard the community. We want you to do more to get the city’s finances in order, and acknowledge the city has other needs besides your pet projects.
Back up your words with actions. Revise the strategic plan. Establish a system for meaningful input from the community. Spend the taxpayer money you have responsibly and in a way that reflects the whole community’s needs and wants before you ask for more.
See earlier article on the July 21 meeting with link to the agenda. Note that the agenda includes the Zoom link and ways to comment to the council, including in person, on Zoom, through a link next to the agenda, and by emailing the city clerk.
Library section on the City of El Cerrito website
Image from the Yes on C Facebook page.