View source for El Cerrito, California

{{Short description|City in California, United States}}
{{About|<!--Not used-->|the community in Riverside County|El Cerrito, Riverside County, California|the neighborhood in San Diego|El Cerrito, San Diego|other uses|Cerrito (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     = El Cerrito, California
 | settlement_type          = [[List of municipalities in California|City]]
 | image_skyline            = Cerrito Theater San Pablo Avenue (cropped).jpg
 | image_caption            = [[Cerrito Theater]] on San Pablo Avenue
 | image_flag               = Flag of El Cerrito, California.gif
 | image_seal               = Seal of El Cerrito, California.png
 | image_map                = File:Contra Costa County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas El Cerrito Highlighted 0621796.svg
 | map_caption              = Location of El Cerrito in Contra Costa County, California
 | pushpin_map              = USA
 | pushpin_map_caption      = Location in the United States
 | pushpin_relief           = 1
 | subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
 | subdivision_name         = [[United States]]
 | subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
 | subdivision_name1        = [[California]]
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in California|County]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Contra Costa County, California|Contra Costa]]
 | established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
 | established_date         = August 23, 1917<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc 
 |title=California Cities by Incorporation Date 
 |format=Word 
 |publisher=California Association of [[Local Agency Formation Commission]]s 
 |access-date=March 27, 2013 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103002921/http://www.calafco.org/docs/Cities_by_incorp_date.doc 
 |archive-date=November 3, 2014 }}</ref>
 | leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
 | leader_name              = Carolyn Wysinger<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.elcerrito.gov/113/City-Council
 |title=City Council
 |publisher=El Cerrito, CA
 |access-date=March 21, 2013}}</ref>
 | leader_title1            = [[California's 7th State Senate district|State Senator]]
 | leader_name1             = {{Representative|casd|7|fmt=sleader}}<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.senate.ca.gov/senators
 |title=Senators 
 |access-date=June 18, 2025
|publisher=State of California}}</ref>
 | leader_title2            = [[California's 14th State Assembly district|State&nbsp;Assembly]]
 | leader_name2             = {{Representative|caad|14|fmt=sleader}}<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers
 |title=Members Assembly
 |access-date=March 21, 2013
|publisher=State of California}}</ref>
 | leader_title3            = [[California's 8th congressional district|U. S. Congress]]
 | leader_name3             = {{Representative|cacd|8|fmt=usleader}}<ref>{{Cite GovTrack|CA|8|access-date=October 18, 2025}}</ref>
 | leader_title4            = [[Board of Supervisors (Contra Costa County, California)|County Board]]
 | leader_name4             = District 1:<br />[[John M. Gioia|John Gioia]]
<!-- Area------------------>
 | area_magnitude           = 
 | unit_pref                = Imperial
 | area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_06.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 30, 2021}}</ref>
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 3.67
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 3.67
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
 | area_total_km2           = 9.51
 | area_land_km2            = 9.51
 | area_water_km2           = 0.00
 | area_water_percent       = 0
 | area_note                = 
 | elevation_ft             = 69
 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
 | population_footnotes     = <ref name=quif>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/elcerritocitycalifornia/|title=El Cerrito (city) QuickFacts|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 14, 2021}}</ref>
 | population_total         = 25962
 | population_metro         = 
 | population_density_sq_mi = auto
 | population_density_km2   = auto
 | timezone                 = [[Pacific Standard Time|PST]]
 | utc_offset               = -8
 | timezone_DST             = [[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]]
 | utc_offset_DST           = -7
 | postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
 | postal_code              = 94530
 | area_codes                = [[Area codes 510 and 341|510, 341]]
 | coordinates              = {{coord|37|54|57|N|122|18|42|W|display=inline,title}}
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
 | blank_info               = {{FIPS|06|21796}}
 | blank2_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
 | blank2_info              = {{GNIS4|277504}}, {{GNIS4|2410410}}
 | website                  = {{URL|https://elcerrito.gov}}
 | footnotes                = 
 | pop_est_as_of            = 
 | pop_est_footnotes        = 
 | population_est           = 
}}

'''El Cerrito''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "The Little Hill") is a city in [[Contra Costa County, California]], United States, and forms part of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]. It has a population of 25,962 according to the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]]. It was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1917 as a village with 1,500 residents. As of the census in 2022, there were 25,583 people and 10,637 households in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/elcerritocitycalifornia/PST045222}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Don_Víctor_Castro (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Don [[Víctor Castro (landowner)|Víctor Castro]], a [[Californio]] ranchero who helped found El Cerrito on his [[Rancho El Sobrante]]]]
El Cerrito was founded by [[refugee]]s from the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake]]. They settled in what was then Don [[Víctor Castro (landowner)|Víctor Castro]]'s [[Rancho San Pablo]], adjacent to the ranch owned by the family of [[Luís María Peralta]], the [[Rancho San Antonio (Peralta)|Rancho San Antonio]].<ref name="echist">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202128/http://elcerritowire.com/history/pages/countyline.htm Contra Costa/Alameda County Line]}}, Mervin Belfils/El Cerrito Historical Society, October 1975/June 2006, retrieved August 1, 2007</ref> A post office opened at the settlement in 1909 and the refugee camp became known as Rust, after Wilhelm F. Rust, its first postmaster.<ref name=CGN>{{California's Geographic Names|628}}</ref><ref name="gnis|277504">{{Cite GNIS|277504|El Cerrito}}</ref> The village's residents did not care for the name and changed it to El Cerrito (meaning "little hill" or "[[hillock|knoll]]") in 1916, in reference to nearby [[Albany Hill]].<ref name=CGN /><ref name="elcerrito.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.elcerrito.gov/365/History|title = El Cerrito's History &#124; el Cerrito, CA - Official Website}}</ref><ref name="Archived copy">{{Cite web |url=https://www.elcerrito.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3439/1715-Elm-Street-HRE_120213?bidId= |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 18, 2025 |archive-date=August 14, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250814141706/https://www.elcerrito.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3439/1715-Elm-Street-HRE_120213?bidId= |url-status=live }}</ref> A year later, El Cerrito was incorporated as a village with 1,500 residents.<ref name="echist"/>

El Cerrito was incorporated in August 1917. The communities of Stege Junction, Rust, Schmidtville, and Schindler were all included in the new city.<ref name="elone">[https://www.elcerrito.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5459/cc16-02-02--7?bidId= Town Memo] (February 2, 2016)</ref><ref name="1910-one">(December 7, 1910). [https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=NN19101207.2.27&srpos=4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-schmidtville-------1 Campaign for Incorporation], ''Newcastle News''</ref><ref name="eastbay">Radin, Rick and William Love (February 3, 2016). [https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2016/02/03/el-cerrito-begins-planning-for-its-centennial/ "El Cerrito begins planning for its centennial]", ''[[East Bay Times]]''</ref><ref name="tramp">(December 14, 1904). [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085421/1904-12-14/ed-1/seq-7/#date1=1789&index=0&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Schmidtville&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=schmidtville&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 Tramp Frightens School Girl], ''Evening Statesman''</ref> The 1920 census shows that the Schmidtville community had many Italian immigrants.<ref name="sch2">[http://www.elcerrito.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3439/1715-Elm-Street-HRE_120213?bidId= Historic Resource Evaluation: 1715 Elm Street, El Cerrito, California], Ver Planck Historic Preservation Consulting (December 2013)</ref> A post office operated at Schmidtville from 1900 to 1901.<ref name=CGN />

==Geography==
[[File:Albany Hill.jpg|thumb|left|[[Albany Hill]] in neighboring [[Albany, California]], named by [[Luis María Peralta]] as "El Cerrito de San Antonio" ("The Little Hill of St. Anthony"), is the namesake of the city.]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.7|sqmi|km2}}, all of it land. The city ranges in elevation from 20 to 934 feet, with an average elevation of {{convert|69|ft|m}}.<ref name="gnis|277504"/>

El Cerrito is located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the extreme southwest corner of Contra Costa County. The hilly areas of El Cerrito provide views of [[San Francisco]] and of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]]. El Cerrito is located along Interstate 80 and is near Interstate 580. It is bordered by [[Albany, California|Albany]] and [[Kensington, California|Kensington]] to the south, the [[Richmond annex]] to the west, [[East Richmond Heights, California|East Richmond Heights]] to the north, and [[Wildcat Canyon Regional Park]] to the east.

The namesake of El Cerrito ("the little hill" in Spanish), local landmark [[Albany Hill]], is not located in El Cerrito itself but just across the border in the municipality of Albany.<ref name="elcerrito.gov"/><ref name="Archived copy"/> The [[Hayward Fault]] runs through El Cerrito. El Cerrito is within {{convert|490|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} of [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]] to the southeast, and is approximately {{convert|5|mi|km}} from the [[University of California]] [[UC Berkeley|Berkeley]] [[campus]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920= 1505
|1930= 3870
|1940= 6137
|1950= 18011
|1960= 25437
|1970= 25190
|1980= 22731
|1990= 22869
|2000= 23171
|2010= 23549
|2020= 25962
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

The [[2020 United States census]] reported that El Cerrito had a population of 25,962. The population density was {{convert|7,070.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of El Cerrito was 46.2% [[White Americans|White]], 5.5% [[African Americans|African American]], 0.5% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 29.8% [[Asian Americans|Asian]], 0.2% [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]], 5.5% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 12.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] residents of any race were 11.8% of the population.

The census reported that 99.5% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized.

There were 10,483 households, out of which 29.0% included children under the age of 18, 50.1% were married-couple households, 6.9% were [[cohabitation|cohabiting]] couple households, 26.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 25.3% of households were one person, and 13.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47. There were 6,798 [[family (U.S. Census)|families]] (64.8% of all households).

The age distribution was 17.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% aged 18 to 24, 29.7% aged 25 to 44, 26.3% aged 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65{{nbsp}}years of age or older. The median age was 42.6{{nbsp}}years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males.

There were 10,996 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2,994.6|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}, of which 10,483 (95.3%) were occupied. Of these, 58.4% were owner-occupied, and 41.6% were occupied by renters.<ref>{{cite web |title=El Cerrito city, California; DP1: Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=1600000US0621796 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=March 27, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=El Cerrito city, California; P16: Household Type - 2020 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDHC2020.P16?g=1600000US0621796 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=March 27, 2025}}</ref>

English was the sole home language of 70.47% of the population; other languages spoken by residents were Spanish (6.26%), Chinese (not specified, 5.96%), Japanese (2.70%), Mandarin (1.80%), Cantonese (1.57%), [[Persian language|Persian]] (1.43%), Tagalog (1.30%), Korean (1.08%), French (0.90%), German (0.83%), Formosan (0.73%), Italian (0.66%), Vietnamese (0.57%), Urdu (0.50%), and 3.23% of people spoke other home languages.<ref name="lang">[http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=6&county_id=&mode=&zip=&place_id=21796&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r El Cerrito entry], MLA Data Center, retrieved October 21, 2007</ref>

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated the median household income was $127,475, and the [[per capita income]] was $72,937. About 4.8% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref>{{cite web |title=El Cerrito city, California; DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics - 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates Comparison Profiles |url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5Y2023.DP03?g=1600000US0621796 |website=US Census Bureau |access-date=June 25, 2025}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Shops in El Cerrito (2666038259).jpg|left|thumb|Shops in El Cerrito]]
[[San Pablo Avenue]] stretches the length of El Cerrito and is the primary commercial and retail corridor of the city, though there is a segment in which the businesses on the west side of the avenue are actually in [[Richmond Annex]] but have an El Cerrito postal address.

El Cerrito is home to [[El Cerrito Plaza (Shopping Center)|El Cerrito Plaza]], a large, [[regional mall]], served by public transit at the adjacent [[El Cerrito Plaza station]]. The shopping center is surrounded by other commercial and retail businesses along San Pablo Avenue and Fairmount Avenue, including the [[Cerrito Theater]], a restored two-screen movie theater.

The city is nominally home to [[Arhoolie Records]] (actually located in [[Richmond Annex]]), part of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. Also located in the city was [[Playland-Not-At-The-Beach]], a now-closed popular amusement park museum.

As of the last quarter of 2023, the top 25 sales tax producers in El Cerrito are: Barnes & Noble, Chevron, CVS Pharmacy, El Cerrito Honda, Exxon, Harbor Freight Tools, Ifshin Violins, Jack in the Box, JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts, Lucky Supermarket, Marshalls, McDonald’s, Nug, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Pastime Hardware, Pet Food Express, Petco, Petvet Petfood, Ross, Safeway, STIIIZY El Cerrito, T Mobile, Trader Joe’s, Verizon Wireless, and Walgreens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=City of El Cerrito Sales Tax Update |url=http://www.elcerrito.gov/DocumentCenter/View/20430/El-Cerrito-4Q23-Newsletter}}</ref>

==Parks and recreation==
El Cerrito city parks include both recreation/sports parks as well as undeveloped nature areas. Most notable are the {{convert|80|acre|m2|adj=on}} Hillside Natural Area open space, Huber Park (Terrace Drive), Cerrito Vista Park (Moeser Lane and Pomona Avenue), Arlington Park (Arlington Boulevard), Tassajara Park (Tassajara Avenue and Barrett Avenue), Poinsett Park (Poinsett Avenue), and the Canyon Trail Park and Art Center (Gatto Avenue).

The city is home to a {{convert|2.6|mi|km|adj=on}} segment of the [[Ohlone Greenway]] (named after the Native American [[Ohlone people]]), a trail that runs the length of the City along a former railroad grade underneath the BART right-of-way that is popular with walkers, runners, and bicyclists, as well as the blind, deaf, and mute population.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
{{Further|Friends of Baxter Creek}}

==Government==
[[File:El Cerrito Plaza station from Albany Hill, May 2018.JPG|thumb|right|[[El Cerrito Plaza station]], served by [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]]]]The City of El Cerrito is a Charter City that incorporated as a General Law City on August 23, 1917, and just over one hundred years later became a Charter City. The city is organized as a Council-Manager form of local municipal government, and its City Charter was adopted by the voters in November 2018. The City Council consists of five members elected at large for four-year, overlapping terms. The Council selects the Mayor for a one-year term from among its members. The Mayor and City Council provide community leadership, develop policies to guide the City in delivering services and achieving community goals, and encourage citizen understanding and involvement. The Council Members also serve as the governing body of the El Cerrito Employees’ Pension Board and the El Cerrito Public Financing Authority.

The City provides police and fire services as well as recreation, streets and roads, recycling, economic development, public improvements, building, planning and zoning, and general administrative services. Residents are provided water by East Bay Municipal Utility District and sewer services through Stege Sanitary District. PG&E provides gas and electricity services, and in addition the city is a member of MCE, a public, not-for-profit electricity provider that gives all PG&E electric customers the choice of having 60% to 100% of their electricity supplied from clean, renewable sources. Library services are provided by the County of Contra Costa. The City contracts with East Bay Sanitary for garbage and green waste collection service through a franchise agreement. Comcast, AT&T, and a host of smaller companies provide telecommunication services.

==Education==
El Cerrito is in the [[West Contra Costa Unified School District]], a multi-city district that operates three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in the city:
*Fairmont Elementary School
*Harding Elementary School
*Madera Elementary School
*Fred T. Korematsu Middle School (opened in 2015 at the site of the former Castro Elementary School, replacing Portola Middle School which was deemed seismically unsafe)
*[[El Cerrito High School]]

===Libraries===
There is a branch of the [[Contra Costa County Library]] system in El Cerrito.<ref>"[http://ccclib.org/locations/elcerrito.html El Cerrito Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719201351/http://ccclib.org/locations/elcerrito.html |date=2011-07-19 }}." [[Contra Costa County Library]]. Retrieved on April 1, 2010.</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:New faregates at El Cerrito del Norte station, March 2021.jpg|thumb|right|[[El Cerrito del Norte station]], served by [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]]]]
[[Interstate 80 in California|Interstate 80]] runs north–south through El Cerrito, with [[San Pablo Avenue]] serving as the primary surface artery. [[Bay Area Rapid Transit]] serves two stations in the city – {{bart|El Cerrito del Norte}} and {{bart|El Cerrito Plaza}} – while [[AC Transit]] operates local bus service. El Cerrito del Norte station is a major hub for AC Transit, as well as [[North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|North Bay]] regional bus operators including [[Fairfield and Suisun Transit|FAST]], [[Golden Gate Transit]], [[Vallejo Transit]], [[Napa VINE]], and [[WestCat]].

The [[Ohlone Greenway]] is part of a regional north–south active transportation route, and is a popular path for bike commuters and recreational cyclists and pedestrians.

== In popular culture ==
* El Cerrito is mentioned in the book ''[[ttfn (book)|ttfn]]'' by [[Lauren Myracle]]. Character Angela finds out the family is moving to El Cerrito.<ref name="Myracle2007">{{cite book|author=Lauren Myracle|title=TTFN (Ta-Ta for Now)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UZDCAQAACAAJ|date=February 1, 2007|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|isbn=978-0-8109-9279-5}}</ref>
* El Cerrito, referred to as "Old El Cerrito", is mentioned in the book ''Star Trek: The Kobayashi Maru'' by author Julia Ecklar. While attending Star Fleet Academy in San Francisco, Cadet James T. Kirk, on failing the ''Kobayashi Maru'' test for the second time, travels to the World Library annex in Old El Cerrito in hopes of finding a solution to the test.
* El Cerrito is mentioned in the song "Golden Gate Fields" by [[Rancid (band)|Rancid]].
*[[Metallica]] wrote ''Ride the Lightning'' and ''Master of Puppets'' in a small house in El Cerrito where the band lived for a while. Cliff Burton joined the band only if Metallica would agree to move to El Cerrito.
* [[Game Theory (band)|Game Theory]]'s 1988 song "You Drive" mentions El Cerrito in the first line.
* [[Cracker (band)|Cracker]] recorded a song titled "El Cerrito" released on their 2014 album ''[[Berkeley to Bakersfield]]''.

==Notable people==
* [[Catherine Asaro]], science-fiction author, grew up in El Cerrito
* [[Jeff Atwood]], co-founder of [[Stack Overflow]]
* [[Paul Baloff]], lead vocalist of metal band Exodus
* [[Les Blank]], documentary filmmaker (1935–2013)
* [[Ernie Broglio]], former [[Major League Baseball]] player
* [[Doug Clifford]], musician
* [[Emily Compagno]], television journalist and [[Fox News]] host
* [[Stu Cook]], musician
* [[Drew Gooden (basketball)|Drew Gooden]], [[Milwaukee Bucks]] forward, attended El Cerrito High School; during his tenure, basketball team went to and lost state basketball final
* [[John C. Dvorak]], right-wing podcaster
* [[John Fogerty]] and [[Tom Fogerty]], musicians from the band [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]], grew up in El Cerrito; band reunited to play its last concert during 1983 El Cerrito High School reunion at [[Golden Gate Fields]] in [[Albany, California|Albany]]
* [[Karen Grassle]], actress, ''[[Little House on the Prairie (TV series)|Little House on the Prairie]]'', resident of El Cerrito
* [[Pumpsie Green]], first African American to play for the [[Boston Red Sox]]
* [[Larissa Kelly]], record-setting ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' champion
* [[Tung-Yen Lin]], [[structural engineer]] who founded [[T.&nbsp;Y.&nbsp;Lin&nbsp;International]]
* [[Alec Palao]], British musician, music historian and writer
* [[Thomas Pridgen]], former drummer for the band [[The Mars Volta]]
* [[Susan Rasky]], journalist
* [[Maria Remenyi]], [[Miss California USA]] 1966, [[Miss USA]] 1966
*[[Alice Schwartz]], co-founder of [[Bio-Rad Laboratories]], billionaire<ref>{{cite web|title=Alice Schwartz|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/alice-schwartz/|website=Forbes|access-date=March 6, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Marcus Semien]], [[Major League Baseball]] player
* [[Adam Sessler]], co-host of [[X-Play]] on [[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]]
* [[Chris Strachwitz]], founder of [[Arhoolie]] records
* [[Maw Shein Win]], first Poet Laureate of El Cerrito
*[[Tess Taylor]], poet and [[CNN]] contributor
* [[Gail Tsukiyama]], author<ref>{{cite web |title=GAIL TSUKIYAMA |url=https://us.macmillan.com/author/gailtsukiyama/ |access-date=July 27, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Joyo Velarde]], musician
* [[Matt Young]], former [[Major League Baseball]] player

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}
*{{gnis|277504}}

==External links==
{{Portal|San Francisco Bay Area}}
*{{Official website}}
*[http://www.elcerritochamber.org/ El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce]

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = El Cerrito
|North     = [[East Richmond Heights, California|East Richmond Heights]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Wildcat Canyon Regional Park]]
|Southeast = [[Kensington, California|Kensington]]
|South     = [[Albany, California|Albany]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Richmond, California|Richmond]]
|Northwest =
|image     =
}}
{{SF Bay Area}}
{{Contra Costa County, California}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:El Cerrito, California| ]]
[[Category:Incorporated cities and towns in California]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1906]]
[[Category:Cities in Contra Costa County, California]]
[[Category:Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:1906 establishments in California]]