Christina Murphy

Berkeley City Council heavily debated citywide affordable housing requirements at its weekly meeting Jan. 17. With intensive deliberations, the council approved item 21 with certain revisions proposed by staff. 

Rent Stabilization Board commissioners unanimously supported the proposed “Housing for a Diverse, Equitable and Creative Berkeley” framework and elected Mari Mendonca to replace former commissioner Christina Murphy at Thursday’s monthly meeting.

Berkeley City Council passed the city staff recommendation on the funding allocation for community agencies in the upcoming financial year, among other items at its Tuesday meeting.

Berkeley has changed significantly in the past 28 years — the minimum wage has increased by about $10 and public health policies are more comprehensive, thanks in part to the work of former District 3 council member Max Anderson.

Christina Murphy, Alejandro Soto-Vigil, Leah Simon-Weisberg and Igor Tregub won all four seats for Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board, knocking out incumbent Judy Hunt and challenger Nathan Wollman who ran together as part of the FAIR Berkeley slate.

The struggle for affordable housing in Berkeley affects students and families alike, and this year, all six candidates running for the four open seats on the Rent Stabilization Board aim to make living in Berkeley a little easier.

With the mayoral seat and positions in City Council and other local government organizations up for election this November, the Berkeley Democratic Caucus met Oct. 5 to endorse candidates and hold its first membership meeting.

On Monday night, the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville hosted a forum for Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board candidates running in the upcoming November elections.

At a Thursday meeting, Cal Berkeley Democrats unanimously endorsed Jesse Arreguin for Berkeley mayor and endorsed both Nancy Skinner and Sandré Swanson for the District 9 state Senate seat, among other candidates in local and state elections this year.

The East Bay Young Democrats, or EBYD, overwhelmingly voted to endorse Berkeley City Councilmember Jesse Arreguin for mayor, in an announcement released Aug. 29.