Judy Hunt

In the race for Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board, the Community Power Slate — which includes James Chang, Paola Laverde, John Selawsky, María Poblet and Soli Alpert — won the available seats as of press time at 2 a.m.

Berkeley is in the midst of a dire housing crisis, and now more than ever, the city’s Rent Stabilization Board has an incredibly important role to play in regulating rents and protecting tenants’ rights. This November, Berkeley voters have the opportunity to elect five new commissioners to the board. Berkeley needs commissioners who are going to fight for tenants’ rights. And those candidates are Alpert, Chang, Laverde, Poblet and Selawsky.

Five of the candidates — James Chang, Judy Hunt, Paola Laverde, María Poblet and John Selawsky – have prior experience as rent board commissioners. Only three — Soli Alpert, David Buchanan and William “Three Hundred” Caldeira — have not previously served on the board.

Candidates running for the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board in the upcoming November elections gathered at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters to answer prewritten and audience questions about affordable housing and landlord-tenant relations Wednesday evening.

Judy Hunt, a former Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board commissioner, called for Commissioner Leah Simon-Weisberg to step down amid talks regarding the repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act at a board meeting Monday.

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.

A political action committee backed by three unions has raised $24,000 this year for eight candidates in the upcoming Berkeley elections, according to an expenditure report filed Thursday.

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.

A few dozen Berkeley citizens and property owners attended a candidates’ forum Saturday at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in South Berkeley to hear a group of largely pro-landlord candidates for mayor, City Council and rent board address development, rent control and housing affordability.