District 1 covers northwest Berkeley, including the Eighth and Harrison homeless encampment, the contested Hopkins Street bike lane, North Berkeley BART and San Pablo Avenue, the last two eyed for new housing. Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani, who has held the seat since 2018, isn't seeking a third term. Five candidates are running, and Berkeley uses ranked-choice voting, so second and third choices could decide it.

The candidates (in ballot order, per The Berkeley Scanner)

  • Steve Kromer, an energy engineer, is running as an outsider and critic of the city's housing and transportation policies. He wants Berkeley to ban homeless encampments.
  • Daria Wrubel, a marriage and family therapist, calls herself a progressive. She criticizes police surveillance technology but supports the Hopkins project and the city's housing plans, and she backs city-run sites with services where unhoused people could live.
  • Laura Babitt, a former school board president, is skeptical of police surveillance and criticized the council's vote to move the Hopkins project forward. She wants stricter enforcement of anti-camping rules.
  • Ross Bernet, a carbon-removal program manager at Microsoft, is closest to Kesarwani on housing and bike lanes, and she has endorsed him. He differs from her on police surveillance technology. Berkeleyside reports he had raised the most money as of Oct. 17 and had about $15,000 more cash on hand than Babitt.
  • Moni Gangopadhyay, a consumer protection investigator, calls herself a progressive. She criticizes license plate readers, the city's handling of homelessness, the Hopkins bike lane and the city's housing-growth plans.

Where to vote in Berkeley

The Berkeley Scanner notes the city has eight vote centers. Two opened Oct. 24, and the rest open Oct. 31. The Alameda County Registrar of Voters lists all vote centers and ballot drop boxes.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.