Berkeleyside wants to help you get to know your 2016 candidates for Berkeley mayor, City Council, School Board and Rent Board. This week, we are publishing questionnaires with the candidates daily at 11 a.m.
We’ll also have stories on all the key Berkeley races and initiatives on the ballot, and hope to help readers make informed decisions about the potential leaders and policies that could help shape Berkeley’s future.
See all local 2016 coverage on Berkeleyside.
Q&As with five of the eight candidates vying for the mayor’s seat follow (three others did not submit responses). We asked candidates why they were running, what sets them apart, what the city’s biggest challenges are and how they hope to solve them. Learn what each candidate thinks is his most inspired idea, and how each candidate plans to be accountable and accessible to constituents. Each questionnaire includes complete campaign info, including social media pages, to help readers connect.
There’s also a PDF grid to help readers compare responses side by side. The deadline to register to vote in Alameda County for the Nov. 8 election is Monday, Oct. 24.
Candidate descriptions below reflect the official ballot order and ballot designation. More mayor’s race coverage is forthcoming. Prior coverage can be seen in our 2016 election hub.
Mayoral race
Eight candidates will be on the ballot: Kriss Worthington (Berkeley City Council member), Bernt Rainer Wahl (scientist/entrepreneur/professor), Zachary RunningWolf (indigenous elder), Jesse Arreguín (Berkeley City Council member), Naomi D. Pete (no designation requested), Laurie Capitelli (Berkeley City Council member, District 5), Ben Gould (graduate student), and Guy “Mike” Lee (community volunteer).
- Election 2016: Who is Kriss Worthington?
- Election 2016: Who is Jesse Arreguín?
- Election 2016: Who is Laurie Capitelli?
- Election 2016: Who is Ben Gould?
- Election 2016: Who is Guy ‘Mike’ Lee?
- Compare the candidate responses in a grid (PDF)
- Websites: Worthington || Wahl || RunningWolf || Arreguín || Capitelli || Gould || Lee
Hungry for more? Watch the League of Women Voters Berkeley Albany Emeryville mayoral candidate forum below (it has been divided into two parts).
Mayoral candidates will next attend a forum Thursday, Oct. 13, organized by the North East Berkeley Association (NEBA) and the Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association (TONA). See the remaining local election events.
Other resources
- The city of Berkeley’s election portal, including candidate info and ballot arguments
- Don’t know your Berkeley City Council district? The city website has a handy tool for that.
- Voter’s Edge: View a personalized ballot by entering your address
- The League of Women Voters Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville: Local races
- Check your voter registration status (and sign up to get election materials online)
- Find your voter profile (Alameda County registrar of voters)
- Confused about ranked-choice voting? Learn how it works
Berkeleyside’s Uncharted: The Berkeley Festival of Ideas is two days of provocative thinking, inspiring speakers, workshops, and a big party — all in downtown Berkeley in October. Read all about it, be part of it. Register on the Uncharted website.
*Berkeleyside provided the photograph of Zachary RunningWolf because he did not provide one.
