El Cerrito Wire

[from press release] Conscious Kitchen Sept. 29, 2026 announced the official launch of the Conscious Organic School Food Purchasing Cooperative (Conscious Co-op), bringing California school districts together to use their collective purchasing demand to make organic food more accessible in school kitchens while creating stronger, more dependable markets for organic farmers and food makers. The Conscious Co-op has partnered with two food distributors, UNFI and Sysco, to be the bridge between schools and farms, ranches and food makers. UNFI is a leading distributor of natural and organic foods in North America, and Sysco is the global leader in foodservice distribution. The Co-op also brings together 17 founding school districts - including West Contra Costa Unified - serving more than 300,000 students, with the potential to reach far more. Other eligible California school districts can access the Conscious Co-op’s contracts through piggybacking, giving them a pathway to Co-op products a...

REMINDER: An El Cerrito City Council candidate forum will be held Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026 from 6 to 8 pm at the Veterans' Building, 6401 Stockton Ave. The event is cohosted by the El Cerrito Senior Action Committee, League of Women Voters, and West Contra Costa County Adult Education program at Christ Lutheran Church. Attendees have the option of attending either in-person or via Zoom ( http://tiny.cc/ECforum ) . The zoom recording will be available afterward. The questions asked at the forum will likely be a hybrid of questions submitted by the public. (Questions were accepted through Sept. 27.) Candidates will also have time for a three-minute opening and two-minute closing statement. Questions will not be shared with the candidates in advance. A meet and greet intended for residents who participate in senior programs at Christ Lutheran Church, St. Johns Senior Center, and the El Cerrito Community Center will be held at Christ Lutheran, 780 Ashbury Ave. (near Stockton Avenue) 1...

Data analyst Ira Sharenow, who frequently puts in Public Records Act requests to the city of El Cerrito and often posts analysis of city documents on Nextdoor, has launched a website. Sharenow has a M.A. in mathematics and an M.S. in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  The website includes sections about El Cerrito related to: City finances The library issue Transportation issues such as the Richmond Street bike lanes, San Pablo Avenue, the Ohlone Greenway, and parking management Fire and police organization, staffing, budget, and incident data analysis The Service Delivery Study and compensation studies and how these relate to the state auditor’s recommendations The city manager’s compensation Elections Sharenow’s website:  https://irasharenow100.github.io/portfolio/ Image from Sharenow’s website

UPDATED: Information from Forrest Lanning’s 470 form and Carolyn Wysinger’s 460 form added Challengers Kimberly White and Wally Nowinski have raised the most money in the race for two El Cerrito City Council seats so far, according to financial disclosure documents posted on the City of El Cerrito website as of 10 am Friday, Sept. 25. The deadline for reporting contributions made between July 1 and Sept. 19, 2026, was Sept. 24, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission website. White’s form shows monetary contributions totaling $16,267.50 and nonmonetary contributions of $112.50 through Sept. 19, plus another $888.00 contributed by an El Cerrito resident Sept. 21. White’s donations are all from individuals, with the bulk of them El Cerrito residents. The largest contribution was $1,500 from an El Cerrito resident. The FPPC 460 form shows she has spent $5,039.03, with the largest expenditures going for yard signs, fliers, postcards, stickers, and cards. Nowinski’s form shows ...

Questions are now being accepted for the El Cerrito City Council candidate forum Sept. 30, 2026 from 6 to 8 pm at the Veterans' Building, 6401 Stockton Ave. The event is cohosted by the El Cerrito Senior Action Committee, League of Women Voters, and West Contra County Adult Education program at Christ Lutheran Church. Attendees have the option of attending either in-person or via Zoom ( http://tiny.cc/ECforum ) . The Zoom recording will be available afterward. Questions can be submitted by Sunday, Sept. 27 at https://forms.gle/LQcZe5CpBPi1e5Vi8 . You may submit more than one question, but each question needs to be on a separate form. The questions asked at the forum will likely be a hybrid of questions submitted by the public, and how many are asked will be limited by time. Some questions may be limited to simple "Yes/No" replies; others will allow for one- or two-minute answers. Candidates will also have time for a three-minute opening and two-minute closing statement. ...

An El Cerrito City Council candidate forum will be held Oct. 8, 2026 at the Veterans Hall, 6401 Stockton (near the library). Doors open at 5:30 pm. The forum starts at 6 pm and is expected to last 1 to 1½ hours. The forum is hosted by El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll, El Cerrito Trail Trekkers, and El Cerrito FireSafe Council. Topics will include walkability, safe streets, fire safety, open space, and park–related issues. Reservations are encouraged to help the group plan for the pizza and childcare that will be provided. Register at https://lu.ma/elmkuk6n . The event will be live-streamed and recorded. RSVP to get the Zoom link. Email info@ecrawalkroll.org with questions. Another event featuring El Cerrito City Council candidates will be held Sept. 30, 6 to 8:30 pm, also at the Veterans Hall. That question and answer session is co-sponsored by the El Cerrito Senior Action Committee, West Contra Costa Adult Education, and the League of Women Voters. A smaller meet and greet i...

 Drivers traveling on and around Potrero Avenue, particularly at intersections, have faced some interesting challenges in recent days as the city slurry seal project continues.  A Facebook post by the City of El Cerrito tells drivers to “expect minor traffic delays and temporary lane adjustments in work zones.” When that post was shared on El Cerrito Wire a commenter responded, “ ‘minor traffic delays’ is an offensive description of the s**t show I went through this morning. [Sept. 15.]” The length of some of the blocks around Potrero Avenue and Arlington Boulevard has added to the challenge of navigating around the work, as does the proximity of two schools, Korematsu Middle School and Madera Elementary.  According to the city Facebook post, the work is part of the city’s 2026 slurry seal Measure A-funded street improvement program and is in year two of a five-year pavement maintenance plan.  The city’s goal is to bring El Cerrito streets up to a "good" quality rati...

The El Cerrito City Council voted Sept. 15, 2026 to adopt a Local Road Safety Plan that includes increasing bike lanes, adding speed humps, improving intersection markings, and setting and strictly enforcing a 25 mph speed limit citywide. ”I think this is the right direction,” said Council Member Lisa Motoyama. “It makes much more sense to prioritize humans rather than how fast cars can get through an intersection.” The road plan is structured around a “Vision Zero” policy, aimed at eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes citywide by 2035. Council Member Carolyn Wysinger said people ask why we have things like bulbouts. “People are getting hurt in our streets.” In speaking in support of the plan, Mayor Gabe Quinto said he was hit on his bike on San Pablo Avenue as a child. Rebecca Saltzman said she thought the city should consider speed limits even lower than 25 miles per hour in some places. The vote was 4-1. William Ktsanes voted no, saying while the plan contains gre...

The El Cerrito City Council is scheduled to adopt a Local Road Safety Plan and receive a quarterly update on general fund revenues and expenses when it meets Tuesday, Sept.15, 2026. The road plan is designed to reduce crashes, particularly fatal ones. It is required for the city to remain eligible or competitive for transportation grants, according to the staff report.  El Cerrito’s plan includes measures such as: -enforcing a 25-mile speed limit citywide, including by using “automated speed enforcement technology, as soon as it is permitted under state law” and designing roads with the target speed in mind. -adding bike lanes by removing street parking -allowing and encouraging e-bikes while addressing reckless and illegal use -installing speed humps -standardizing intersection design markings and signs The council is also scheduled to authorize the city to accept a $200,000 federal Community Development Block Grant for Americans with Disabilities Act and architectoral improvement...

UPDATE: Livable El Cerrito coverage   UPDATE:  A video of the El Cerrito Library task force meeting Sept. 8 is now available: https://elcerritoca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1382/media   A video of the El Cerrito Library task force meeting Sept. 8 is now available: El Cerrito resident Richard Brooks offers an interesting analysis of the meeting: https://library-force-260908.richardbbrooks.workers.dev/ El Cerrito’s Library Task Force will hold its first meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 at 6 pm in the City Council Chambers. The task force is scheduled to hear a presentation on the history of the library and efforts to improve it, review the responsibilities of the task force, and set a regular meeting schedule. The presentation can be viewed here: https://elcerritoca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1382/files/attachment/8035   The presentation notes that the options for funding a new or renovated library are limited: the city can’t afford to finance it through its general ...