El Cerrito Wire

Caitlin Garibaldi will be the new West Contra Costa Unified School District board member representing Area 5. Kristin Sangren, who took out papers on Aug. 10 and turned them in Aug. 11, withdrew Aug. 12, the final day candidates could enter the race for the four-year seat.  That leaves Garibaldi as the only candidate. The area includes El Cerrito, Kensington, and a portion of Richmond. The Area 5 race was extended to Aug. 12 because incumbent Leslie Reckler did not seek reelection. Garibaldi, who has lived in El Cerrito for seven years, is a Fairmont Elementary School parent, and works in pet care. She joins incumbent Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy of Area 4, the only other WCCUSD board position up for grabs this election, in securing a seat without competition. Area 4 includes El Sobrante, parts of Richmond and San Pablo, and a sliver of Pinole. Per the state Education Code, the two seats will not appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, a policy meant to save school districts the cost of an unnecessa...

Ever wonder how the order of candidates for a particular race on your ballot is selected and why it matters? For the Nov. 3, 2026 election, the order will be determined 11 am Aug. 13. The day after the extended filing date passes, the California Secretary of State’s office holds a random drawing of letters, creating what is called a randomized alphabet. It’s used in races big and small throughout the state to determine what order to place candidates’ names in each race. For example, if someone named Rodriguez is running against someone named Chen, and R gets drawn before C, then Rodriguez appears on the ballot before Chen. (If their names start with the same letter or letters, the first letter in their names that is different is used to determine the order.) In lower visibility races, this could be enough to give Rodriguez a win. It’s not exactly the sorting hat at Hogwarts, but it’s often watched closely by politicians. It’s of such interest that the Secretary of State live streams th...

UPDATE: Garibaldi secures seat! At least two candidates will compete for the WCCUSD Area 5 board seat, with one day left for additional candidates to join the race. Kristin Sangren (pictured) returned her nomination papers Aug. 11 to run for the West Contra Costa Unified School District Area 5 seat. Also competing for the seat is Caitlin Garibaldi. Just one day, Aug. 12, remains for other candidates to join the race. Because the incumbent, Leslie Reckler, is not seeking reelection, the filing period was automatically extended from the initial filing day of Aug. 7. Area 5 includes El Cerrito, Kensington, and a portion of Richmond. The term is four years. Kristin M. Sangren is listed on the UC Berkeley Law website as a lecturer in legal studies. (The county elections department listed the candidate as Kristin Makai Sangren on Aug. 10, when she took out papers). Garibaldi has lived in El Cerrito for seven years, is a Fairmont Elementary School parent, and works in pet care. Two other race...

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 infl...

A new potential candidate, Kristin Makai Sangren, has taken advantage of the extension of the filing deadline for West Contra Costa Unified School District Area 5 by taking out papers Aug. 10. Sangren, and anyone else who might join the race, will need to return nomination papers by Aug. 12 to qualify. When the initial filing period closed Aug. 7, the race had only one candidate, Caitlin Garibaldi. Because the incumbent, Leslie Reckler, is not seeking reelection, the filing period was automatically extended by five days. Area 5 includes El Cerrito, Kensington, and a portion of Richmond. Two other races affecting El Cerrito and Kensington - Contra Costa Community College District Ward 1 and Stege Sanitary District - also have extended filing periods through Aug. 12. No new candidates took out papers in those races after the initial deadline of Aug. 7. For Contra Costa Community College District Ward 1, Raquel Donoso and Cameron Sasai have filed papers, while incumbent John E. Marquez ha...

Photo of upper yard at Madera Elementary School in El Cerrito. The report to the West Contra Costa Unified School District board about the reduction in playground supervision, originally scheduled for Aug. 5, is now on the agenda for Wednesday, Aug. 12. It now shares the agenda with an update on toxic vapor found at Kennedy High School on Cutting Boulevard in Richmond. The meeting was delayed so that the Kennedy issue could be added to the agenda and more information gathered. As Superintendent Cheryl Cotton explained in an Aug. 9 message, “just over a week ago, my Executive Team and I became aware of preliminary data from underground soil testing, which showed that a toxic vapor called PCE has now made its way underneath an area of Kennedy High School.” The district is analyzing additional testing to determine whether it’s safe to begin classes on the campus when school begins Aug. 18, and looking at possible alternate sites where classes could be held if the Kennedy site is deemed un...

Several elected positions representing El Cerrito and Kensington drew only one candidate for each open seat by the Aug. 7 deadline, so those candidates will face no opposition on Nov. 3. Those races are for the boards of the Kensington Community Services District, AC Transit District Ward 1, and EBMUD Ward 4. The El Cerrito City Council race has six candidates for two seats. There are three candidates for Contra Costa County Board of Education Area 2 (which includes none of El Cerrito and only a part of Kensington.) Because incumbents did not file, the nomination period for three races affecting El Cerrito and Kensington has been extended to Aug. 12. They are Contra Costa Community College District Ward 1, three seats on the Stege Sanitary District, and West Contra Costa Unified School District 5. Incumbents cannot file during the extension. RACES WITH ONLY ONE CANDIDATE PER OPEN SEAT For the Kensington Community Services District board, Rodney K. Paul, Daniel S. Levine, and Adam B...

The following is a statement from West Contra Costa Unified Schoool District Area 4 Trustee Demetrio Gonzalez-Hoy posted on Facebook. Since no challengers filed to compete for the seat, he will serve another four-year term. Area 4 includes El Sobrante, parts of Richmond and San Pablo, and a sliver of Pinole. WCCUSD Community, I am incredibly grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to continue serving our community for another four years on the WCCUSD Board of Education. I know there were community members who considered running for this seat, and I do not take lightly the fact that they ultimately chose to place their trust in me to continue this work. To everyone who has encouraged me, supported me, worked alongside me, challenged me, and trusted me to represent our community: thank you. Serving on the School Board is one of the greatest honors of my life, and I remain just as committed today as I was when I first took office. Over the next four years, I will continue to center s...