I’m Daria Wrubel!
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I was born and raised in Berkeley by a single mom in a rent-controlled apartment. My mom grew up here too, she was an avid activist, a public school secretary, and she raised me with the unshakable progressive values Berkeley is known for.
I spent my career serving Berkeley families.
First, working as an educator and horticulturist at Thousand Oaks Elementary School’s edible school yard program. I loved working in gardens with young people, teaching the importance of good nutrition, and caring for and stewarding this land.
When my co-workers were laid off, I signed up to work with the California Federation of Teachers to fight back. As a union organizer, we stopped the layoffs and strengthened our union. I am proud that during my tenure we raised total union participation in BCCE from 76% to over 97%. This work taught me not only the value of collective organizing and action, but also the skills it takes to win.
After our success as a union and looking for a new challenge, I went back to school nearly twenty years after my undergraduate degree to study Counseling Psychology with a focus on youth and young adults. After earning my degree, I worked in schools around the East Bay, seeing first hand how systems and policy decisions impact our students lives. Now I have a private practice, working directly with young people in Berkeley and Albany.
I’ve lived in the same house in District One with my daughter and husband for twenty years. I rock climb at Ironworks. I buy groceries at Monterey Market. And I love Berkeley with all my heart.
Here is what I am ready to fight for:
Build more housing and fight for tenant rights.We need more of every type of housing, including permanent supportive housing and market rate, and we need to protect the tenants living in the homes they already have. We need to take an all-of-the-above approach to fight 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, fast transit, and support for our small businesses, alongside dignified paths off the street and the mental health care that 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