New Line-Up of Democrats for El Cerrito Solicit Signatures in City

The new electoral districts created by redistricting brought a new constellation of signature-seeking legislative hopefuls to El Cerrito Saturday, though each of them is a familiar face to local voters.

If you're wondering why Congressman George Miller and state Senator Loni Hancock, who don't represent El Cerrito, were in town Saturday morning with Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, who does represent the city, to collect signatures for their re-election campaigns, the answer is redistricting. Though Miller and Hancock's current districts do not include El Cerrito and Kensington, recent redistricting puts the two communities into new Congressional and state Senate districts that Miller and Hancock hope to represent. Skinner's current Assembly district already includes El Cerrito, as does the new one that she is running for. Their joint appearance – hosted by the El Cerrito Democratic Club at Raphael's Shutter Cafe – was to gather nomination …

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Local Mom

3:12 pm on Sunday, January 29, 2012

Ditto previous commenter's comment!   more ›

Confusion on Disposing of Christmas Trees

For local residents puzzled about a new policy on disposing of Christmas trees, East Bay Sanitary requests they be placed in green waste bins, by cutting if necessary, but says they can still be left at the curb if placement in bins is difficult.

A number of El Cerrito residents have been scratching their heads about how to get rid of Christmas trees this year. In years past, you just left the tree at the curb on your green waste pick-up day, and the folks from East Bay Sanitary picked it up. This year, however, the latest bills from East Bay Sanitary say on the front page that the firm is "now requesting that Christmas trees be cut down and placed in your green waste cart for collection." The back of the bill, however, contains the old instructions: "Christmas trees will be picked up free of charge. Trees must be placed at the curb by 6:00 A.M." And at least one resident was spotted taking a tree to the city's Recycling Center. The president of East Bay Sanitary, Mark Figone, told…

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Charles Burress

7:34 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012

Good question!   more ›

El Cerrito Gets New Mayor – Big Gavel Transfer

The mayor's gavel was handed off in a big way Monday by outgoing Mayor Ann Cheng to newly elected Bill Jones.

With the flourish of a super-sized gavel, El Cerrito got a new mayor Monday night – seven-year City Council veteran Bill Jones. Following the unanimous election of Jones by the five-member council, outgoing Mayor Ann Cheng picked up a giant wood gavel and stood hoisting it like an overgrown sledgehammer in Jones' direction. Wielding a big gavel Though the photo of the transfer makes it look as though Jones may have been on the verge of being literally crowned with the emblem of his new title, no aggressive intent was shown by Cheng, who has presided over council meetings during the past year with noted calm, sensitivity and supportive civility. Jones smiled broadly as he grasped the implement securely with his right hand. The office of …

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Measure J Wins — Parcel Tax for Doctors Hospital Approved

With the bulk of votes counted, Measure J passed with a commanding margin of 73.7 percent in preliminary results.

With nearly all votes counted, Measure J, the mail-only ballot for a $47 annual residential parcel tax to prop up Doctors Medical Center, has won by a commanding 73.7 yes vote, according to preliminary totals. Of 32,469 votes counted, Measure J received 23,923 yes votes and 8,546 no votes. The measure asked voters to approve the tax for residents in the West Contra Costa Healthcare District, which covers the area from Kensington to Port Costa. "Obviously we're really pleased with the result," Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia said from a celebration gathering of Measure J supporters in Point Richmond tonight, Tuesday. "I think it shows that West County residents value this hospital and the emergency room and their importance to the…

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Susan D.Keeffe

8:11 am on Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sarah, Thamks' That's good news! That's a welcome relief for families with elder care issues.   more ›

Nov. 15 Deadline for Measure J Ballot on Doctors Hospital

The mail-in ballots must reach the Contra Costa County elections office by Nov. 15 to be counted. They can also be delivered by hand.

Although yesterday, Tuesday, was election day in many cities and towns, West Contra Costa voters also have a special vote-by-mail election, with a Nov. 15 deadline to reach the county elections department. Measure J asks voters whether to adopt a $47 annual residential parcel tax to keep the Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo open. Owners of rental, commercial and industrial parcels would pay between $94 per parcel up to $940 per parcel. Registered voters residing in the West Contra Costa Healthcare District are eligible to cast a ballot. The district includes residents from Kensington to Crockett. The argument in favor of the measure says the new tax is needed to keep the emergency room at Doctors, the only full-service ER in West County…

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Who Is Redrawing the Lines?

A look at the California Citizens Redistricting Commission, created by the state's voters in 2008 to let citizens instead of politicians redraw legislative districts for Congress, state legislature and state Board of Equalization.

It's 14 people. Five of them are Democrats. Five of them are Republicans. And four of them belong to other political parties or "decline to state" their party registration. Together, they are making decisions this summer that will affect California politics for the next 10 years. By Aug. 15, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission will have approved new districts in California for Congress, the state Senate, the state Assembly and the state Board of Equalization. The panel is now reviewing the first draft of proposed new district maps. The changes in districts for El Cerrito and Kensington in the first draft are described in our earller article here. "It's a pretty revolutionary concept in California. It's history in the making," …

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Kensington Voters Okay Higher Spending Limit for Services

Voters in Kensington overwhelmingly approved a new spending limit for the Kensington Police Protection and Community Service District in today's special election.

A ballot measure to set a new spending limit for Kensington police and other services won handily in a special election today, June 7, according to the Contra Costa County Elections Division. Semi-official results showed that 90 percent of voters said yes to the new appropriations limit of $3,305,662 for fiscal year 2011-12 for the Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District. The district oversees the Kensington Police Department and other community services. The vote, usually held every four years, is needed to authorize the district to spend the tax money it has collected. It did not affect the amount of taxes that residents are required to pay. According to the elections division's semi-official results early today, …

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Eye on Kensington

Kensington Vote June 7 Could Affect Police, Other Services

At least here the voters decide. The ballot measure would raise the spending limit for the Kensington Police Protection and Community Services District.

I was surprised last week when an absentee ballot showed up in the mail. I always vote by mail since I never seem to be around on Election Day, and it just makes the whole process more convenient. I say that, knowing the voting booth where I cast my ballot is usually about 200 yards from my front door. But there are times when I’m out of town, and if you do not send back the absentee ballot, you have to request one again, for the next election. Like I said, it’s just easier. I was even more surprised when I opened the envelope and discovered there was only one question to be decided: Kensington’s appropriations limit. While raising the "appropriations limit" may sound like a bureaucratic formality, it has a real-world impact. It's …

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Higher Sales Tax Won't Start Till April

The half-cent boost in El Cerrito's sales tax to 10.25 percent doesn't take effect until April 1.

Last week's passage of a half-cent boost in the city's sales tax won't have much impact until next spring. Measure R, approved by 58 percent of voters on Nov. 2, would raise El Cerrito's sales tax to 10.25 percent, but it doesn't take effect until April 1, said Suzanne Iarla, community outreach specialist in the city manager's office. The city can now begin recruiting to fill positions that had been left vacant in the police department, but that process could take up to a year, Iarla said. City operations will continue largely as they have been for the time being. The tax hike "will enable the City to maintain the current level of program and services offered," Iarla said. Before the vote, city officials warned that if Measure R failed, …

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Frank

3:30 pm on Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I would rather pay an extra 50 cents for a $100 piece of art than to drive to Pinole to save a bit of change. I think most people are not "penny wise and pound foolish."   more ›

Merriweather Takes Third School Board Seat

Election likely won't sway to Freeman when certified, said county clerk.

It may not be official, but it's semi-official: Elaine Merriweather has unseated incumbent Audrey Miles for the third school board seat in Tuesday's election. It was a tough race all night, as challenger Jason Freeman had a slight edge over Merriweather when the first wave of absentee ballots were cast. Merriweather, though, pulled ahead as votes from precincts were counted late into the night, ending with 17.75 percent of the vote to Freeman's 16.98 percent. Incumbent Miles trailed behind the pair with 16.24 percent. The county still has to count the ballots that were dropped off by hand Tuesday – usually about 20 percent of the vote. And even if Freeman was able to maintain the mail-in ballot lead he had early on, it's highly unlikely he…

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Abraham Aboraya

11:38 am on Monday, November 8, 2010

This is an issue that affects almost all political races, including presidential races. I've heard of a few people talking about campaign finance reform for the school board, and it's tied into a number of things. One, with at-large elections, it would be almost impossible to do a "grassroots" campaign where the candidate walks door to door and meets voters. There's just too many of them. So the …   more ›