El Cerrito City Council candidates given opportunity to respond to questionnaire

By Betty Buginas

All candidates for El Cerrito City Council in the Nov. 3, 2026 race have been sent the questionnaire below to complete by Aug. 24. Questionnaires that are completed following the directions and returned by the deadline will be published by El Cerrito Wire in full, and linked from the El Cerrito Wire Facebook page and Nextdoor. Late submissions will not be accepted. (That would give those candidates the unfair advantage of reading other candidates’ answers before replying.) 

Candidates have also been asked to submit a headshot.

Willingness to discuss issues of concern to the community openly is an important qualification for a City Council member, as is the ability to meet deadlines and willingness to respond to the media.

This questionnaire provides all candidates the opportunity to present their views without the need to raise a lot of money.

It is meant to give El Cerrito voters meaningful information on which to base their votes and not be unduly influenced by contributions and endorsements from people outside the community, or even those within the community with more money to spend or more political clout. The goal is to elect people who truly represent the voters of El Cerrito.

I am publishing the questionnaire now to give community members the opportunity to reach out to candidates and encourage them to respond. If all candidates do not have published questions and answers, readers will know they have all been given the opportunity to provide them. 

Candidates were given the opportunity by the city clerk to provide contact information to be released. I have reached out to them using that information as well as other contact information I was able to locate. The posting of this announcement her, on Facebook, and Nextdoor is also meant as a way to make sure all candidates are aware that they have the opportunity to submit answers to the questionnaire.

Candidates are also invited to submit as soon as possible a statement of about 250 words to be published right away. This can be as simple as providing a copy of the candidate statement that will appear on the ballot and has already been submitted to the city clerk.

Questionnaire:

What would your top three priorities be as an El Cerrito City Council member?

What should be done to improve El Cerrito’s financial outlook?

What capital improvement projects should be the highest priority and how should they be funded?

How can El Cerrito balance the needs of public transit users, bicycle riders, pedestrians, and drivers?

What should the City Council's relationship be with the city manager?

What should the City Council's relationship be with city boards, commissions, and task forces?

What would you do to make sure El Cerrito residents get accurate and meaningful information about what is happening with El Cerrito’s city government?

How would you improve the city of El Cerrito’s process for getting meaningful input from the community?

How can community members reach you/your campaign? (Website, Email, etc.)