I’m Daria Wrubel!
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Berkeley faces two questions. How do we deliver city services that actually work … and … how do we protect our progressive values and our most vulnerable neighbors while we do it? Too many politicians tell us we have to choose. I don't believe that. I believe we can do both.
I was born and raised in Berkeley by a single mom in a rent-controlled apartment. My mom grew up here too, was an avid activist, and worked as a public school secretary. My father was a professor of music at UC Berkeley. I spent my early career as an outdoor educator around the county, and today I work as a child and young adult therapist. I've lived in District 1 with my husband for 20 years, and our daughter was born a couple of months into our time here.
That's the Berkeley I'm fighting for: a city where a kid raised by a single mom in a rent-controlled apartment can still build a life. But the affordability crisis is making it harder and harder for families to stay.
Here's what I believe we can do, without choosing between them:
Build more housing and fight for tenant rights.We need more of every time of housing, including, permanent supportive housing, and we need to protect the tenants living in the homes we already have. We need to take an all-of-the-above approach to fighting our historic housing crisis.
Protect public safety and defend our civil liberties. I want a Berkeley that is safe for everyone, without surveilling or criminalizing our own community. We need to follow the research on public safety policy and not fall victim to fear mongering or corporate sales pitches.
Improve city services and support our most vulnerable.A city government can be competent and compassionate at the same time. Reliable infrastructure, easy transit, and support for our small businesses, alongside dignified paths off the street and the mental health care too many of our neighbors have lost.
I'm running to protect what I love about Berkeley. Our arts and culture. Our commitment to civil liberties and activism. Our waterfront and parklands. The character of our neighborhoods and the small businesses that give them life. None of that survives on its own. It takes a city government competent enough to deliver and principled enough to know what's worth protecting.
We can have both. That's what I'm running to build.
With love and solidarity,
Daria
I BELIEVE WE CAN...