Election Section

The October 5th launch of the Berkeley Democratic Caucus, which took place at the South Berkeley Community Church, brought the power of local engagement to South Berkeley in the 2016 election season.

The audience of over 40 Berkeley residents packed the small church for the opportunity to hear the platforms of the candidates, and, after the campaign speeches, mingle with them in a warm and friendly space. Former Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport was in attendance and asked the candidates some challenging questions! 

“This meeting created opportunity for the community to come together,” said 30-year resident of Berkeley Charles Austin, “The issues discussed were on target. People were mainly talking about housing.” 

The following candidates addressed the audience and sought the endorsement of the Caucus: Jesse Arreguin, Naomi Pete, and Mike Lee (for Mayor); Cheryl Davila and Nanci Armstrong-Temple (for City Council District 2); Al Murray and Ben Bartlett (for City Council District 3); Sophie Hahn (for City Council District 5); Fred Dodsworth (for City Council District 6); and Judy Hunt of the FAIR slate versus Christina Murphy, Alejandro Soto-Vigil, Leah Simon-Weisburg, and Igor Tregub of the CALI slate (Rent Stabilization Board). 

While the Berkeley Democratic Caucus sponsored the event for the entire community, the gathering also served as the Caucus’s endorsement meeting. After the ballots were counted, the Caucus made the following endorsements. 

Mayor: Jesse Arreguin (Kriss Worthington second on the ranked choice ballot)
District 2:Nanci Armstrong-Temple (Cheryl Davila second on the ranked choice ballot) 

District 3: Ben Bartlett 

District 5: Sophie Hahn 

District 6: Fred Dodsworth 

Rent Stabilization Board: CALI slate (Christina Murphy, Alejandro Soto-Vigil, Leah Simon-Weisberg, Igor Tregub) 

The goal of the Berkeley Democratic Caucus is to promote equity and inclusion for all Berkeley residents, to highlight neighborhood disparities in City policy, and to reach out to engage the entire community in the democratic process. To this end, the Berkeley Democratic Caucus endorses candidates for political office that embody Berkeley’s great spirit of community empowerment. 

For further information or to join, please contact: Elisa Cooper:berkeleydemcaucus@gmail.com