BY MATT DURNING //

Residents of El Cerrito voted to support the current direction of their local city government Tuesday, electing council-endorsed newcomers Ann Cheng and Greg Lyman while also reelecting incumbent Mayor Bill Jones.

Cheng, the only woman running and the youngest candidate at 30 years old, won the election with 4,852 votes, or 25.8 percent. Jones received 4,553 votes, or 24.2 percent, and Lyman had 4,364 votes, or 23.2 percent.

In winning, Cheng becomes the first Asian American councilmember in the 90-year history of El Cerrito.

“Those who have the ability and resources to widen the boundaries of inclusion should be encouraged to step up,” said Cheng, reflecting on her victory. “I am very proud to fill this role and definitely hope to cultivate an interest in local government by all ages.”

The two newcomers bring years of professional experience in city planning and infrastructure projects. Both advocate a vision of mixed-use, transit-oriented, sustainable community development in El Cerrito.

Cheng, an urban planner, said her top priority would be making sure there is sufficient community input and involvement in developing the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan.

Lyman, a civil and environmental engineer and the former chair of El Cerrito’s Park & Recreation Committee, said one of his first orders of business would be to get more trees planted in Canyon Trail Park and around the city.

Both agreed the controversy surrounding the closing of Portola Middle School is a primary concern that requires serious attention.

“The City Council really needs to be active in healing the city’s divide on this issue,” Lyman said. “We need to make sure the [WCCUSD] school board reaches a decision that is in the best interest of our residents.”

Mayor Jones said he was very happy with the election outcome and pleased that all of the candidates ran positive campaigns.

“I think anytime a person gets reelected for a second term it makes them feel good,” he said.  “It’s a confirmation that people think you’re doing a good job, or at least can be trusted moving forward.”

Jones said he expected the next four years to be more difficult than the previous four, citing the desperate financial climate facing California and the country as a whole.

The Mayor said he intends to complete those ongoing projects already with dedicated funding – such as the second phase of redevelopment on San Pablo Avenue and improvements to the recycling center – before taking on anything new.

All three candidates expressed excitement over the outcome of the US presidential election and said they look forward to working in an environment of new ideas and new energy at the federal level.

“Government that is good for Main Street,” said Jones. “Governing rather than ruling.”

The two other candidates in the race, Andrew Ting and David Boisvert, finished well behind the winners with 2,514 votes and 2,477 votes respectively. This was the second unsuccessful city council campaign for both men, who also ran in 2004.

Boisvert congratulated the winners on running a well-orchestrated campaign and said he thought the endorsements they received from the current city council had a major impact.

“I think the voters of El Cerrito perceive that the way the city is being run is good and there is no real need for change,” he said.

Cheng and Lyman will replace sitting councilwomen Jan Bridges and Leticia Moore, both of whom chose not to run for reelection.

Mayor Jones praised Bridges and Moore and said they would be missed.

“Jan and Leticia were always well prepared,” he said. “They put in the extra work to understand the issues and brought some levelheadedness to the process. Although I’m sorry to see them go, I think Ann and Greg will be great additions.”

The new city council will be sworn in during a special council meeting on December 2, the deadline by which Contra Costa Registrar Stephen Weir must certify the election results.  The public is invited to attend.

The front entrance of the new El Cerrito City Hall on San Pablo Avenue.

BY FERNANDO GALLO//

The El Cerrito City Council discussed technological advancements the city has made to better serve and educate its residents, as well as a new recycling system, at its bimonthly meeting on Oct. 20.

The council session, which also served as the Public Financing Authority meeting, marked only the second time the council has met in the new state-of-the-art city hall.

Sergeant Robert De La Campa and Corporal Susan Garman of the El Cerrito Police Department gave a presentation to the council explaining the department’s use of CrimeReports.com. The website works in conjunction with police departments to organize crime statistics and uses Google maps to show where certain crimes have been committed in the city.

De La Campa said the website makes it easier for the department to present crime data.

“We think it’s not only easier, but it’s more beneficial for the viewer,” De La Campa said. “Most people like to see things more than to read it and hear it in dry text.”

De La Campa also said the department has been working for the last few months on getting El Cerrito’s data onto the website and it was expected to be accessible to the public Oct. 21. Interested residents need to sign up for a free account in order to access the information.

The council also discussed another way the city is using the Internet to inform its residents: webcasting. City Clerk Cheryl Morse explained how new streaming video of council meetings is available on the city’s website. Residents can watch council meetings live on the Internet, or pick a topic from the council’s agenda and watch that portion of the meeting at their convenience.

Councilmember Abelson praised the new feature and said it would be a great benefit to residents.

“People don’t have to come here at all, they don’t have to go down and see the city clerk – they can do this in the middle of the night, if that’s what they want. They can do it from the other side of the world,” she said. “I think it’s important to be transparent… to the community, and this is a way of making it a lot easier to do that.”

The city began its new streaming feature with the Oct. 6 council meeting.

Another major topic of discussion was the revision being made to the city’s current recycling process. Two members of the city hall staff presented the plan, which would significantly alter how residents dispose of their recyclables. Currently, residents use two bins for their recyclable materials, which they must sort themselves. The new plan would give each resident a single recycling cart where all recyclable materials would be deposited, and the new recycling center, currently under construction, would not process the recyclables on-site as originally planned.

Mayor Bill Jones spoke glowingly of the plan during the meeting.

“This is a huge project in this sense: We’re changing service for the better,” he said. “But we are also designing a new facility for half the price and I think the two of these put together… this will take us well into the future.”

Environmental analyst Garth Schultz, who helped present the plan, said this change in the recycling process would reduce a forthcoming increase in residents’ waste management bill from 25 percent to 10 percent. Although the plan was brought to the council in order to get direction from the council members, Schultz said it is already well underway.

“Parts of it are already done now,” Schultz said.

The city council also agreed to consider new additions to the City Council Wall of Fame on a regular basis. The Wall of Fame was created to honor distinguished citizens of El Cerrito, and Abelson said there have not been many new additions in recent years. The council voted at Monday’s meeting to place Miriam Wilkins on the Wall of Fame.

“It’s a way to honor people who have really given to the community and to the greater world,” Abelson said. “I’m really supportive of it because I think that that’s the least we can do for people, to encourage people to give to the community.”

The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m.

BY FERNANDO GALLO//

Councilmember Sandi Potter talks about why she came to El Cerrito, the redevelopment of the Cerrito Speakeasy, and the arts movement in El Cerrito.

(From L-R: David Boisvert, Ann Cheng, Greg Lyman, Andrew Ting)

BY MATT DURNING //

On November 4th, at least two of the four individuals featured here will be elected to the El Cerrito City Council. The following three-minute video profiles provide a brief introduction to each of the candidates, in their own words.

Because current council members Leticia Moore and Jan Bridges have decided not to run for re-election, three of the five city council positions are “open seats” in this November’s election. Mayor Bill Jones is the only incumbent running for re-election.

Each of these candidates say they would bring unique experiences and perspectives to the council.

Unfortunately, too often citizens are unacquainted with the candidates running for city council in their community when they vote.

Here is your opportunity to get to know them better. For further information, you can visit the candidates’ individual campaign websites using the links provided at the bottom of this page.

David Boisvert

Ann Cheng

Greg Lyman

Andrew Ting

Campaign Websites

• David Boisvert
• Ann Cheng
• Bill Jones
• Greg Lyman
• Andrew Ting

Voter Information

Not registered to vote? Unsure where your polling place will be? Visit our helpful community Voting Guide to get all the information you need.

Related Stories

Budget and safety dominate El Cerrito City Council Forum (ContaCosta Journal, 10/9/08)

ContraCosta Journal endorses Jones, Boisvert, and Lyman in El Cerrito City Council race (ContraCosta Journal, 10/30/08)