The director representing most of Berkeley on BART’s governing board announced Wednesday that she will not run for re-election next year, setting the stage for another open local race in 2024.
Director Rebecca Saltzman has spent three terms on the BART board, where she has pushed to build housing on the transit system’s property, including at the North Berkeley station she represents.
Saltzman, the development director of the advocacy group Bike East Bay, wrote in a series of posts Wednesday on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, that she was proud of her work to help guide BART through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Serving as a BART Director has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life,” Saltzman wrote. “I’m incredibly grateful to have served my community for three terms, working to improve BART and Bay Area public transportation.”
The District 3 seat opened up by Saltzman’s departure covers all but a small sliver of Berkeley, plus cities to the north along Interstate 80, such as Richmond, El Cerrito and Pinole. Next year will be the district’s first election with new boundaries drawn during a 2022 redistricting process; it previously extended farther south to include parts of Oakland, San Leandro and Hayward.
While Election Day is still a year away, 2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for East Bay politics. Along with the BART board seat, Berkeley voters’ ballots could include open races for mayor and two City Council seats, as well as rare incumbent-free races for the U.S. Senate and House.
