Analysis: Vote in the City Council race like El Cerrito‘s future depends on it
By Betty Buginas
The outcome of the Nov. 3 El Cerrito City Council race will have a major impact on the future of El Cerrito.
The incumbents, Gabe Quinto and Carolyn Wysinger, are proud of their records. If you’re happy with the direction the city has taken in recent years, you should vote for them. Of the challengers, Mary Ann “MJ” Jawili is the least critical of the status quo, focusing her campaign on creating more spaces where people can get together and talk in person. Quinto, Wysinger, and Jawili supported Measure C.
If even one of those three candidates wins, major changes to the way the city operates are unlikely.
On the current council, William Ktsanes often stands alone in calling for more fiscal responsibility and more public input. When he suggested reconsidering Plaza BART as the preferred location for the library in the city’s strategic plan, he couldn’t get a second.
To upend that 4-1 majority, both council seats will need to go to candidates who will insist on changes to the way the city manages its finances, and on greater public input before decisions are made.
The two candidates who have been most critical of the current council are Kimberly White and Wally Nowinski, who are running together. White runs a business advising clients on the sorts of decisions our council makes, and serves on the city's Financial Advisory Board. Both White and Nowinski were active in the No on C campaign, Nowinsky as the most visible leader of the group. Opponents of C don’t all give the same reasons, but dissatisfaction with city budgeting practices and frustration at not being heard by city leaders are mentioned repeatedly. White and Nowinski carry those messages over to their council campaign, which they call “two votes for change.”
Forrest Lanning also calls for the city to spend within its means. He says his experience in leading rebuilding in the wake of disasters gives him the skills he needs to work within a budget, communicate with residents to learn their priorities, and to come up with practical, logical, and creative solutions.
To find out more about the City Council candidates, see the El Cerrito Wire Elections page.
The video from the Sept. 30 forum linked from the Elections page is particularly useful. All six candidates participated. The questions asked were based on questions submitted by the community and cover the major issues raised in El Cerrito in recent years - city finances, bike lanes particularly those planned for Richmond Street, Flock, the lack of a senior center, and the need to replace or repair the public safety building and the library. It was cohosted by the local League of Women Voters, Adult Ed, and the Senior Action Committee.
Elections page: https://elcerritowire.blogspot.com/p/nov-3-2026-el-cerrito-city-council-and.html
Image: Campaign signs for the six candidates for El Cerrito City Council