Your Complete City Council Roster — Going Back to El Cerrito's Beginning in 1917

It would have been easy to guess that far more men than women have served on El Cerrito's City Council since the city was incorporated in 1917.

But do you know whether the council has seen more single-term members or multiple-term members? (One term is four years.)

The attached list is a complete roster of all those who have served on El Cerrito's City Council, including the years they served and the number of terms.

Of the 81 total councilmembers since the city's founding, just about half, 41, are single-termers, though that could change if either of the current first-termers, Ann Cheng and Greg Lyman, go on to serve another term. 

Of the 40 multiple-term members, 32 are two-termers, though this too could change if current Councilmember Bill Jones seeks and wins a third term.

The number of three-termers is three, including Mayor Janet Abelson, who is expected to join the four-termers in November. She is running unopposed for a fourth term.

Two other councilmembers were four-termers, the more recent having been Leo Armstrong from 1954 to 1970.

Only one, so far, served five terms: Pete Larsen, who sat on the council from the year the city was founded, took a break between 1922 and 1928, and resumed his seat until 1944, near the end of World War II.

Patch wishes to thank Brooke Trainer of the City Clerk's office for compiling the accompanying list from city records.