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Four people who did not have 20 valid signatures on their nomination forms, as required by state law, were disqualified from running in Berkeley’s 2008 municipal elections Monday, city officials said. 

The deadline for filing nomination papers for Berkeley’s November 2008 municipal elections expired at 5 p.m. Friday but was extended to Wednesday for three offices whose incumbents are not running for re-election.  

Jesse Arreguin, who is running for the late councilmember Dona Spring’s District 4 seat, will not be running for re-election to the Rent Stabilization Board.  

District 6 councilmember Betty Olds’ seat is also up for grabs since Olds is retiring after serving 15 years on the City Council.  

Three-term incumbent Joaquin Rivera opted out of a bid for re-election to the Berkeley Board of Education this year.  

Mark Numanville, deputy city clerk, told the Planet that several prospective candidates had been disqualified since their nomination papers lacked 20 valid signatures. Tree-sit supporter Zachary RunningWolf and 2008 UC Berkeley graduate Sam Alcabes, both of whom were hoping to run for mayor, and Mary Rose “Redwood Mary” Kaczorowski and Michael McBride, both of whom intended to run for City Council, have had to drop out of the race.  

“When you run for office you circulate a nomination paper on which you collect no more than 30 signatures,” he said. 

“20 of those must be registered voters.” 

Mayor  

RunningWolf had only 18 valid signatures on his nomination form and Alcabes had 19, which disqualified the two of them from the mayoral race. 

Denis McComb also dropped out of the race Friday when he did not turn in his nomination papers, leaving incumbent Mayor Tom Bates and and former mayor Shirley Dean still running. 

District 2  

Two-term incumbent Councilmember Darryl Moore is running for re-election this year against Jon Crowder. 

Michael McBride, who filed nomination papers Friday, was disqualified on Monday when the registrar’s office determined that he had only 18 valid signatures on his nomination form. 

District 3  

Incumbent Councilmember Max Anderson is running unchallenged for his District 3 seat.  

District 4  

Mary Rose “Redwood Mary” Kaczorowski was disqualified from the District 4 race because she had only 17 valid signatures.  

Attorney Jerry Threet dropped out of the District 4 race Friday, leaving current rent board chair and Kriss Worthington aide Jesse Arreguin, former school board president and retiree Terry Doran, local activists LA Wood and Asa Dodsworth, and N’Dji Jockin to battle in a crowded race for the council seat formerly occupied by Dona Spring.  

District 5  

Attorney and King Middle School PTA President Sophie Hahn will be the only person appearing on the ballot to oppose incumbent realtor Laurie Capitelli. Jason Ira Majid dropped out of the race Friday.  

School Board  

Berkeley Unified School District parent Priscilla Myrick joined the race for school board director last week after turning in her nomination papers along with School Board President John Selawsky and Berkeley High parent Beatriz Levya-Cutler Friday.  

The deadline to file nomination forms for District 6, school and rent board candidates was Wednesday, August 13.