Darryl Moore was born in California, graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 1984, and later earned a masters degree in public policy from the University of Chicago. After working for the District of Columbia, he moved to Berkeley in 1996 where he worked as a legislative aide for City Councilman Kriss Worthington. Moore later worked as a senior management analyst for the Berkeley Department of Public Works. Moore now works at the Oakland Housing Authority.
Moore was first elected to public office in 2000 when he won a seat on the Peralta Community College Board of Trustees, becoming the first openly gay African American elected to office in the East Bay. He was elected to the Berkeley City Council in 2004, representing District 2, and has been an advocate for youth, recreation, public safety, and housing, among other issues. Tonight will be his last City Council meeting. His replacement on the Council is Cheryl Davila.
What are you most proud of accomplishing as a Berkeley City Councilman?
I am very proud of my accomplishments related to supporting our youth. For the last 12 years, I have provided backpacks and school supplies to incoming Rosa Parks Elementary School students, drastically expanded our YouthWorks program to provide jobs to all youth during the summer, and worked extensively on the 2020 Vision to eliminate the academic achievement gap by year 2020.
I also feel like I did a great deal to address the “bread-and-butter” needs of constituents, like infrastructure. I was able to secure $2 million of improvements to San Pablo Park, i.e. basketball courts, tennis courts, accessibility improvements, as well as a major rehabilitation of the Frances Albrier Center, which was also accompanied by a Centennial Celebration of the Park. I worked closely with the Friends of Strawberry Creek Park to achieve considerable improvements to Strawberry Creek Park and the surrounding neighborhood. I worked enthusiastically as a Board of Library Trustee on Measure FF, which provided substantial funding to rehab Berkeley’s aging library system, including completely brand new South and West Branch Libraries, I actually came up with the idea of West Branch being a net-zero energy library. I also worked to get federal stimulus funding for the major rehabilitation of Sacramento Street.
I also worked on a variety of projects that I felt were very important to District 2 and the City of Berkeley, including improving diversity of our Police and Fire Departments, helping to establish a great number of neighborhood groups focused on public safety and disaster preparedness, and helping to draft legislation to establish a suite of significant community benefits for major projects in the City. My district is host to more than 30% of all the below-market-rate units in the city.
What do you wish you had been able to do before stepping away from the City Council?
There were a few projects for which I began laying the groundwork, but never completely came to fruition. When I heard about the closure of the Berkeley Pier, I knew that it was something that I definitely wanted to take on, as I knew how much historical significance it had, and how dear it was to many people for a source of recreation and sustenance. I was really hoping to be able to convert the old Santa Fe Right-of-Way into green and recreation space. I would have loved to have been able to establish public ferry service to the Berkeley marina, although it looks like we will have private commuter service starting in 2017. Undergrounding our utilities citywide would have also been a great project that could have improved the overall safety of our residents in the event of a disaster, as well as just an overall aesthetic improvement.
How has your district evolved since you first took office? Can you name some things that have improved, and at least one issue that still needs to be addressed?
Violent criminal activity has been greatly reduced since I took office in 2004. The homicide rate and criminal drug activity have been significantly reduced over the years. San Pablo Park received $2 million in rehab and improvements, and Strawberry Creek Park has been significantly improved.
I definitely think that housing affordability is a huge issue that this new City Council will need to address, as we are in danger of becoming a homogenous community.
Do you have any parting words for your constituents and the residents of Berkeley?
It has been a real honor and privilege to represent the residents of District 2 over the last 12 years. I want to thank my council aide, Ryan Lau, for his dedication and hard work for the residents of District 2. He did a tremendous job for which I am deeply grateful. Also, I want to thank my City Council colleagues with whom I served over the last 12 years for their love, service, and dedication to the City of Berkeley. Finally, I want to thank my husband Bradley of 21 years for his support, encouragement, patients and understanding over the last 12 years. I wish Cheryl Davila the very best as she serves the city and the residents of District 2.
What are your future plans?
I am planning to spend more quality time with my husband and six grandchildren who live on the East Coast. I haven’t yet decided on whether I plan to return to public service in the future, but I do greatly enjoy being able to serve my community.
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