In November 2020, voters of Contra Costa County passed Measure X to fund essential services including the regional hospital, community health centers, emergency response, safety-net services, early childhood services, and other community services. It also required the formation of a Measure X Advisory Board.

Our County Librarian Alison McKee will be appearing before this Advisory Board on July 28 to present a proposal to utilize some of the Measure X funds to provide for an increase in County provided hours of library operation countywide to 56 hours a week at each branch, at County expense. Not only would this relieve cities of the cost of providing hours in excess of 40 hours a week, it would provide a strong argument in support of a new library for El Cerrito since the library would be available to the public for 56 hours each week!  

There are two things everyone in the El Cerrito Library community can do to help make 56 hours per week, at no extra cost to the City possible. They are:

Submit a public comment to the El Cerrito City Council at or prior to their July 20 meeting requesting that Mayor Fadelli submit a letter in support of the County  Librarian’s proposal to utilize Measure X funding for 56 hours per week library operation.

Since the County  Librarian’s proposal to utilize Measure X funding for 56 hours per week library operation is not on the agenda for the July 20 Council meeting, your comment should be submitted for Agenda Item 3, Public Comment.

• Via Zoom using the “Raise Hand” icon to request to speak. If joining by phone, dial *9 to “raise your hand”, and when prompted by the host, *6 to nmute/mute.

• Via email to cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us. Email must contain in the subject line “Public Comments – Not on the Agenda.”

To ensure City Council receives your written comments prior to taking action, they must be received by 4:00 p.m. the day of the meeting. All written comments received by this deadline will be provided to the City Council and posted online in advance of the meeting.

And then,

Submit your personal public comment in support of the County Librarian’s proposal to utilize Measure X funding for 56 hours per week library operation to the Measure X Advisory Board.

Personal comments to the Measure X Advisory Board need to be received before 5:00 pm on July 27. The email should be sent to lisa.Driscoll@cao.cccounty.us.   

Please do so and request everyone whom you know to do so as well. 

We need to flood the Advisory Board on this issue. Your comments should stress the equity issue — regarding internet access, literacy, and learning. It is not possible  for many working poor people to get to the library during the 40 or 46 hours that the library is now open due to work conflicts. 

Thank you for your continued willingness to take action in support of our library and our great library staff.

El Cerrito Library Foundation

Foundation Supporters and Friends of the Library, thank you!

Once again the El Cerrito Library Community rallied in support of our library and showed its support for retaining 46 open hours per week. Over 60 public comments asking the City Council to fund an additional six hours that would maintain our 46 hours per week operation were submitted to the Council at their June 16th and 22nd Council meetings.

Just as important, in these public comments, most commenters reminded the City Council that maintaining this 46 hours per week schedule is not only a financial decision — it is also a more important equity decision.

It is an equity decision because for a significant portion of our community, our library is the only computer access and internet access they have. Therefor, reduced library hours means reduced access which results in reduced opportunities for theses library users.

So, thank you all, again for your support in maintaining a 46 hours per week schedule for ALL of our library users.

Because of a change in the Contra Costa Library’s rules, beginning July 1st, the El Cerrito Library will be closed Sundays and Mondays. Please see the Library’s page for an updated list of hours: https://ccclib.org/locations/11/

Questions about the new library hours? Please contact out Senior Community Library Manager, Heidi Goldstein at heidi.goldstein@library.cccounty.us.