Page One

To the Editor: 

As a child I attended the Saturday matinees at the El Cerrito Theater and it is a cherished part of the living history of this little city. As a Californian I have watched city fathers throughout the East Bay demolish historical structures in the name of progress, erasing forever what is fast becoming a fairly shallow fund of historical landmarks. One need only look as far as the local historical society to see what we have let slip through our fingers. Hmmmm, whatever happened to that old adobe? Oh, yeah, a dog track.  

The evaporation of baby boom communities has ravaged the fabric of our neighborhoods. The institutions that held us together, such as schools, lost their ability to bind people together as families and their children left the community. Our cities struggle daily with the effort to create great community but seem to see taxable commerce as the only way to do it. The heart of the business district in El Cerrito contains a theater which holds more hearts and memories of neighbors than anything you could construct. Don't fritter that away for a few pieces of silver. 

Michael Mejia 

Richmond