Community
Welcome to the website of the Richmond Street Neighbors Association in El Cerrito, California. El Cerrito was founded by refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. They settled in what was then Don Víctor Castro's Rancho San Pablo. A post office opened at the settlement in 1909 and the refugee camp became known as Rust, after Wilhelm F. Rust, its first postmaster. The village's residents did not care for the name and changed it to El Cerrito (meaning "little hill" or "knoll") in 1916, in reference to nearby Albany Hill. El Cerrito is a sanctuary city. It has a wide variety of people and is welcoming of different cultures, generations and lifestyles.
We believe in a community where everyone can enjoy a great quality of life, regardless of who they are, where they live, or how they get around. Neighborhood improvements should be shaped by those who call it home. That’s why we champion community-led discussions and solutions that reflect the needs and priorities of local residents.
Our community isn’t just where we live—it’s something we actively build together. When residents have a voice in shaping their neighborhoods, we create safer, more vibrant, and more Our community is not just a place where we live, but it is something we actively create. Everyone plays a role in designing the community we live in. We believe that community residents are the experts on their own neighborhoods and know best how to achieve greater safety and well-being. Residents are also the engines that make things work. No matter how much evidence exists that a certain approach can provide results, it will be ineffective if community members do not buy into it.