ISSUES &
PRIORITIES
HOUSING Justice & Tenants’ RIghts
I will advocate for affordable housing for all, fighting against the commodification of housing and exclusionary zoning. I will collaborate with the Rent Stabilization Board to expand rent control and defend and enforce tenant protections. I’ll stand with our unhoused neighbors by pushing for 24-hour inclement weather shelters, fighting against sweeps, and implementing initiatives like the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. On the city council, I’ll push for responsible development, releasing vacant properties to Community Land Trusts and promoting social housing initiatives, prioritizing affordable housing for those unjustly displaced by previous development processes. I’ll pressure the UC to build new student housing without displacing members of our community and destroying our ever-dwindling Third Spaces.
WORKERS’ RIGHTS & Organized Labor
I am deeply committed to supporting workers' rights and the labor movement. I’ll continue to stand with workers in District 7, on campus, and beyond as they organize to secure higher wages, better workspace conditions, and common-good bargaining demands. I will fight to expand city labor enforcement, ensuring mistreated workers have a true ally in the local government, and treat city staff with respect. I will work to pass a Just Cause Termination Ordinance and defend Berkeley’s Fair Workweek Ordinance and Hardhats Ordinance from anti-labor attacks to roll them back or eliminate them.
Getting to the roots of Public Safety
My approach to public safety is centered around transformative justice, anti-carceral preventative measures, and addressing the root causes of harm. We should be investing in programs like Berkeley's Specialized Care Unit and BerkDOT to remove police from crisis response and traffic enforcement to make the SCU operate 24/7 and fully implement BerkDOT. By implementing the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force’s policy recommendations and holding BPD and UCPD accountable for its abuses, we can prioritize true community safety. I’ll push for more ground-level street lighting, pressure the UC to move BearWalk out of UCPD and increase the frequency of the Night Safety Shuttle, grow the number of non-police public safety ambassadors, and transfer oversight of the Telegraph Ambassadors program to an independent commission. I’ll push back on attempts to criminalize homelessness, promoting a holistic and inclusive approach to community well-being and justice. And I’ll work to create a specialized, non-police response unit to deal with noise complaints and other non-violent issues stemming from parties and social events.
Safe Streets & Public Transit
Every District 7 resident should be safe from traffic violence and should not need to rely on owning a car to get around. I’ll fight to make Berkeley’s streets safer for pedestrians and people on bikes by building concrete infrastructure: protected bike lanes and intersections, expanded sidewalks, and pedestrian prioritization. I’ll continue working to make Telegraph Avenue Car-Free in Southside, push for traffic calming measures on Haste and Durant, reopen the Chuck Herrick Peace and Freedom Memorial Park (aka Dwight Triangle) to the public, and work to close the slip lane on Dwight and Telegraph. I fight for benches and rain/shade shelters at all bus stops and oppose hostile anti-homeless architecture, all while pressuring the state and federal government to massively increase funding for fare-free public transit.
COMMUNITY
I will defend People's Park and work to restore vital services and community control of the park while pushing for affordable housing for students and unhoused people at nearby sites. I’ll protect the Chess Club and oppose harassment and fines and I’ll introduce a strong Ceasefire Resolution that condemns the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Gaza. I’ll keep pushing for the creation of The Public Bank East Bay and I will fight to ensure that the City of Berkeley is supporting progressive policies at the state level.
ACCOUNTABILITY & Representation
District 7 residents deserve open communication, intentional engagement, and genuine representation. I commit to holding regular town hall meetings, open office hours, and community events. I want to meet with a coalition of community organizations multiple times monthly to ensure ongoing resident input. I will work to empower District 7 residents by providing training around giving public comments, organizing, and writing legislation. I will give prompt and consistent notifications to my community about important legislation to encourage high constituent turnout and public engagement.
A Green New Deal for Berkeley
On a local level, the Green New Deal is an investment in long-term community health and safety in the face of climate change. In office, I hope to pass legislation incentivizing new construction in Berkeley to incorporate energy-efficient windows, insulation, and heating as well as solar panels on their roofs and fight for public utilities. I want to work with the Rent Stabilization Board to incentivize landlords to install solar panels, install energy-efficient windows, and electrify homes. Across the board, the city should be investing in housing weatherization and climate adaptation, including climate resiliency hubs. We should be using city funds to help electrify and retrofit housing for low-income homeowners and renters using high-road union standards: a win-win for climate, equity, and labor. Schools deserve their own Green New Deal, complete with free preschools, having schools be more prepared to act as shelters for hot or cold weather events, and better ventilation in classrooms, community gardens, and greenspaces as areas for education.
Let me know your ideas!
If there’s an issue you’re passionate about, I want to hear about it! Please reach out to me and my team of dedicated grassroots organizers and we’ll be in touch.