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Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board member Sophie Hahn has announced that her campaign for City Council raised $44,859.00 between January 1^st and June 30^th, almost three times what her opponent raised during the same period. Hahn, a grassroots candidate with deep ties to Berkeley and to her District, received over 300 contributions during this filling period. Seventy-five percent were made by residents of Berkeley, with over 100 from within District 5. 

During this period, Hahn raised almost $29,000 more than her opponent, Stephen Murphy, who received only 91 donations in total, with approximately 20 from residents of District 5. Approximately one third of Murphy’s donations can be attributed to developers and others with a stake in the real estate industry, including consultants, builders, architects and attorneys who work for, or represent, real estate and development interests. Many of the most active developers and developer-representatives in Berkeley are among his donors. 

“I am honored to have received so many donations from Berkeley residents, and from people who know me from my many years of work on behalf of our schools, libraries and community. Our message is resonating with voters, who are ready for a leader who understands and values the people and neighborhoods of Berkeley, and has a track record of getting things done for Berkeley. As we grow and change, I will fight to ensure that our values are reflected in all that we do, and that we protect the things that make Berkeley such a uniquely wonderful place.” 

Hahn has an expanding list of elected officials and community leaders backing her campaign for city council, including CA State Controller Betty Yee, Former CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin, State Assemblymember Tony Thurmond, CA State Senator Isadore Hall, Berkeley City Councilmember Max Anderson, Berkeley Rent Board Chair Jesse Townley, Emeryville Mayor Dianne Martinez, former Berkeley Vice Mayor Carole Kennerly and Councilmember Ying Lee, as well as local hero Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant & Founder of the Edible Schoolyard. 

Sophie grew up in District 5 and has raised her three children less than a mile from her childhood home. She graduated from Berkeley High in one of the first cohorts to attend elementary through High School in Berkeley’s recently integrated schools, launching her life of engagement and advocacy by working to desegregate extracurricular activities. 

Sophie served as Chair of the City of Berkeley Commission on the Status of Women before being appointed to the Zoning Adjustments Board, where she has been a strong and consistent voice for affordable housing, green building and sustainable transit. As Co-Chair of the 15^th California Assembly District Environmental Task Force and an elected member of the Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Group’s Executive Committee, she is deeply involved in local efforts to address climate change and achieve environmental justice. Sophie has also been involved in numerous school and community activities including serving as President of the King Middle School PTA, on the Board of the Friends of UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library, and as a Board member for the Berkeley Public Library Foundation, where she led local fundraising efforts for the renovation of the North Branch Library. 

For more information: www.sophiehahn.com