Nov 2026: Berkeley electeds

Here are my recommendations on Berkeley's elected officials (not all of whom I actually get to vote for):

Berkeley elected officials:

City Council District 1: Bernet (#1) & Wrubel (#2)

City Council District 4: Tregub (#1 + only)

City Council District 7: Micael (#1 + only)

City Council District 8: Humber (#1 + only)

School Board: Brown, Park, & Shanoski

Rent Board: Marasovic plus Arbaugh, Martinac, & Mizell

See other posts for recommendations on Berkeley ballot measures, state & regional propositions, and other state/regional elected officials + judges. I'll update this page with links soon. 

For details on Berkeley elected officials, read on ..

Berkeley elected officials

Remember Berkeley has ranked-choice voting for city council candidates, so you can rank up to three candidates in each race. While I live in District 2, I'm across the street from D4 and a couple blocks from D1. 

City Council District 1: Bernet (#1) & Wrubel (#2)

I view councilmembers mostly through the lens of whether they support good housing and transportation policy. Ross Bernet and Daria Wrubel are the only candidates for this seat who meet my criteria. They both support the planning for homes at the North Berkeley BART station, raising height limits along San Pablo Avenue, and more limited changes along other corridors. They both support the council's recent decision to direct staff to prepare plans for a protected bike plan on Hopkins. I do too. Current councilmember Kesarwani, who I've endorsed twice and like, has endorsed Ross Bernet, so he's my #1. I also read this Berkeleyside article and all the candidates' websites. 

Bernet is endorsed by the Sierra Club, East Bay for Everyone, several housing & climate groups, several labor unions, and by elected officials I trust: Mayor Ishii (her #2), current D1 councilmember Kesarwani (sole endorsement), councilmembers Taplin & Humbert, plus BART Directors Rebecca Saltzman & Barnali Ghosh. He's also endorsed by the Berkeley Democratic Club, and Berkeley's police & fire associations. 

Wrubel is endorsed by the Sierra Club, a few housing & climate groups and labor unions, plus a slightly different set of elected officials: Mayor Ishii (her #1), councilmembers Lunaparra & Bartlett, plus BART Directors Rebecca Saltzman & Barnali Ghosh. She's also endorsed by more progressive political groups (WDRC, Greens,  EBYD, CA Working Families Party). 

I wouldn't support any of the other three candidates:

Laura Babitt is the only one of the other three who has any chance, but I would not vote for her. She wouldn't respond to Berkeleyside's questions about how she feels about housing plans and she criticized the Hopkins bike lane. Back in 2020, I voted for her for School Board, but that worked out poorly. I hear she was a divisive (and some say "anti-teacher") presence on the Board, so I didn't endorse her again in 2024. Voters agreed and she lost her re-election bid.

Moni Gangopadhya opposed San Pablo upzoning, criticized the North Berkeley BART project, and opposed the Hopkins bike lane. 

Steve Kromer is not a plausible candidate. He lists no endorsers on his website, even from the anti-tax group he's part of. 

City Council District 4: Tregub (#1 + only)

Igor Tregub will win this in a walk. He deserves to -- he's been a thoughtful councilmember who listens to constituents and stakeholders. He's endorsed by the Sierra Club (in which he's long been active), Mayor Ishii, and 6 of the other 7 councilmembers, and many others. Tregub, by the way, is running just two years after having won his seat initially after former councilmember Harrison quit mid-term. 

His only opponent, Majdi "Gaith" Abuhamdieh, is not a plausible candidate.  

City Council District 7: Micael (#1 + only)

I was sad to see current councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra decide not to run for re-election to this seat, whose short-term she won in 2024 after former councilmember Rigel Robinson quit mid-term. Fortunately, Syrak Micael has stepped forward as a well-qualified successor and earned Lunaparra's endorsement. He serves on the Housing Advisory Commission, earned endorsements from Mayor Ishii and two existing councilmembers, and sounds like a good representative for this student-centric district. He also has support from Democratic Socialists, Working Families Party, and Telegraph for People (trying to make the last few blocks of Telegraph car-free). 

His only opponent, Aidan Hill, ran a distant third for the D7 seat in 2018 and parlayed that into an even more quixotic bid for mayor in 2020. 

Learn more in Berkeleyside's article. 

City Council District 8: Humber (#1 + only)

I encourage D8 voters to re-elect councilmember Mark Humbert. He's supported an okay compromise on Elmwood zoning; I'd like to see more Berkeley's wealthy Elmwood neighborhood accept more upzoning, but I understand the headwinds he's facing. He's endorsed by Mayor Ishii and 5 (of the other 7) councilmembers. 

I don't think either of his challengers has much of a chance, nor would I support them. Mari Mendonca  has opposed Elmwood upzoning and generally opposes adding more homes in Berkeley. She lists just one elected official among her endorsers (a Rent Board commissioner). 

Michael Wallman, an AI engineer, wants to protect the 7-Eleven strip mall from redevelopment, and backed a failed effort to get the area designated a historic landmark. He's endorsed by the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, but no elected officials as far as I can tell. 

Learn more from Berkeleyside's article. 

School Board: Brown, Park, & Shanoski

There are 3 candidates for 3 seats. Brown and Shanoski are incumbents. Park is a newcomer. They're all endorsed by the teacher's union. They all seem likely to win. 

But I figured I should read about them anyway, so I found the Berkeleyside article about the race. It reports that Reichi Lee, who I endorsed in the 2022 race, started a write-in campaign on October 20. That doesn't seem likely to work, but I'll read up on them, and update this post if I change my mind. 

Rent Board: Marasovic plus Arbaugh, Martinac, & Ortiz

I appreciate Berkeley's strong rent control laws and tenant protections, managed by the Rent Stablization Board (RSB). In my 30+ years here, I began by voting only for the pro-tenant slate, developed every two years in a tenants' convention. In 2012, our local League of Women Voters was concerned about improprieties and unprofessional administration and urged reforms. Now I look at individual candidates, considering who takes the governance role seriously and also has experience navigating Berkeley's city structure. Sometimes that includes some or all of the tenant's slate. 

This year, there are 6 candidates for 5 seats. I know four of my votes:

• Carole Marasovic is the only candidate who's not in the Right to Housing slate. I endorsed her in two of her previous runs (2020 + 2022). She has a 15-year track record on several Berkeley commissions (Homeless Commission, Mental Health Commission) and she advocates for good budget oversight (something the Rent Board always needs). She's won endorsements from State Senator (and former Mayor) Jesse Arreguin, 5 councilmembers (more than the Right to Housing slate got), 3 rent board commissioners, and many others.
• Avery Arbaugh, on the tenants' slate, is the only candidate endorsed by Mayor Adina Ishii. She's a tenant organizer for ACCE, chairs the Berkeley Tenants Union, and organized a tenant association in her building. She ran previously in 2024. 
• Ida Martinac, an incumbent on the tenants' slate, is focused on climate resilience, and works her day job as a legal secretary for the California Department of Justice. 
• Nathan Mizell, an incumbent on the tenants' slate, recently worked as a law clerk for Centro Legal de la Raza and has prior experience on the city's Police Accountability Board and Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. 

The tenants' slate is is endorsed by three councilmembers (Bartlett, Lunaparra, Tregub) and a bunch of progressive groups: Berkeley Tenants Union, WDRC, DSA, WFP, Our Revolution, EBYD, and more.

I'm not sure if I'll use my 5th vote for one of the tenants' slate's other candidates: Derek Rodriguez or Vylma Ortiz.