Had a phenomenal morning touring El Cerrito Plaza TOD construction! They’ve been adding modular units for just 2 weeks and will finish adding them Monday.
It blew me away to tour a unit that had been added two days ago. It had been trucked to the site with the kitchen and bathroom nearly complete!
🚨El Cerrito is being forced to move to Council districts (vs current at large), and the process is moving quickly!🚨
I encourage all El Cerrito residents to weigh in on potential district lines, and NOW is the time, as Council will vote on maps on July 7.
Lots more details in this thread...
The full El Cerrito Plaza TOD will include 743 homes, 47% of them affordable.
The first phase under construction now will have 70 affordable homes steps from BART and the Ohlone Greenway (a bike/walk path).
Important note: the El Cerrito Council districts we approve will be implemented for the 2028 election (there's not enough time to implement this year).
So the November 2026 election will be held as an at-large election, and two seats are up this year.
El Cerrito City Council would love to remain at large. We're a small city (~26k) without defined neighborhoods. At large has worked well.
But we were sued under California Voting Rights Act. Cities have fought these lawsuits, and they've all lost, paying hundreds of thousands in attorneys fees.
The anonymous El Cerrito resident who sued us is forcing us to move very quickly. Our city attorney asked for an extension, and their attorney said no.
So we have to adopt maps by July 21, meaning we have to vote on maps on July 7! We've held multiple hearings and meetings already.
You can also attend one of El Cerrito's upcoming public hearings on districting - the next one is next Tuesday, June 16 at 6:15 pm.
Or you can email the City Council with your thoughts on potential districts: [email protected]
Love these family friendly fare policies at San Diego MTS.
If we implemented free transit rides for kids on weekends in the Bay Area, family transit ridership would skyrocket.
(Would be a bit challenging to implement on BART though, with fare gates.)
At this week's Council meeting Redistricting Partners, our consultant, presented three draft maps. These will likely change with public and Council input, but they are a good place to start reviewing potential lines.
Members of the public have also been submitting maps. There's a super easy tool to use so you can create and submit your own maps or make revisions on other maps that have been submitted.
You can also review and submit communities of interest.
Mapping site: www.udrawthelines.com/event/el_cer...
