Fall 2024 election guide for Berkeley and Alameda County
Here are many of the key races you'll find on the ballot in Berkeley on Nov. 5, 2024. We'll keep this voter guide updated as it gets closer.
The Scanner has been getting lots of questions about local elections in Berkeley and Alameda County.
We've published a piece on the mayor's race and are working to round up more candidate positions on public safety to help you decide who best represents you in that arena.
In the meantime, we wanted to provide a basic overview of many of the key races on your ballot — including this season's candidate forums.
Berkeley also has dueling street improvement tax measures on the ballot.
Kate Darby Rauch
Editor’s desk
NB: Various other seats are also up for grabs, along with a number of ballot measures, but those listed below seem to be most relevant for the topics we cover.
We'll add Berkeley election resources and information as we find them, and we'll let you know in our daily newsletter when we do.
If there's something we missed, let us know.
You can also sign up for alerts from the registrar of voters for election results as they happen. Get alerts by email, text or both.
TBS does not endorse candidates, but we always want to help you get informed about who's running for office.
Berkeley voter guide
Jump to each section by clicking the links.
- Candidate forums
- Key dates for the Nov. 5, 2024, general election
- Berkeley mayor's race
- Berkeley City Council elections
- Other Nov. 5 candidates on Berkeley ballots
- DA Pamela Price recall will be on November ballot
- Berkeley, Alameda County election resources
November 2024 election: Candidate forums
Ballots for the Nov. 5 election have dropped. Everyone registered to vote in Alameda County should receive a mail-in ballot.
Several groups, including the League of Women Voters of Berkeley Albany and Emeryville (LWVBAE), organized election forums to help you learn about the candidates.
These often aren't the most scintillating events, but you can generally get a sense of the people behind the names on the ballot.
These events are usually recorded and made available later if you can't watch live.
Click the links below for event details.
- Thursday, Oct. 24: School Board & City Council Forum (TONA — in-person)
Past Berkeley election events
- Berkeley Chamber: Berkeley Mayoral Candidate Forum
- Berkeley People’s Alliance: Berkeley Mayoral Forum
- LWVBAE: Berkeley Mayoral Forum
- LWVBAE: Berkeley City Council District 2
- LWVBAE: Berkeley City Council District 3
- BNC: Berkeley City Council Districts 2 and 3
- BNC: Berkeley City Council Districts 5 and 6
- LWVBAE: Berkeley City Council District 5
- LWVBAE: Berkeley City Council District 6
- Berkeley Neighbors for Housing and Climate Action (BNHCA): Mayoral and District 3 elections
- BNHCA: Berkeley City Council districts 2, 5 and 6
- LWVBAE: Berkeley School Board
- LWVBAE: Berkeley Rent Board Candidate Forum
- LWVBAE: Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 5 Forum
- Public Policy Institute of California: 2024 Election Preview
- LWVBAE: California Senate District 7
Bonus: UC Berkeley has a series of election-related events planned at multiple locations on campus from Oct. 3 to Nov. 13. Professors from the Institute of Governmental Studies and Social Science Matrix organized it.
"From analyzing local ballot measures to dissecting national voter trends, these events aim to equip the campus community with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions at the polls. Featuring expert panels, workshops and cross-disciplinary discussions, the series offers a deep dive into both state and national political dynamics."
The Citrin Center on campus also has some election events planned.
Key dates for the Nov. 5, 2024, general election
- Sept. 26: Voter information guides start going out by mail
- Sept. 26: First pre-election campaign statement due
- Oct. 7: Vote-by-mail ballots start being sent; early voting begins at the registrar of voters office at 1225 Fallon St. in Oakland (in the basement)
- Oct. 21: Last day to register to vote
- Oct. 24: Second pre-election campaign statement due
- Oct. 26: 11-day vote centers open
- Oct. 29: Campaign contribution disclosure list published
- Nov. 2: 4-day vote centers open
- Nov. 5: Election Day
- Jan. 31, 2025: Semi-annual campaign statement due
November 2024: Berkeley mayor's race
Emilie Raguso
Candidates appear in ballot order. Read candidate statements submitted to the city as well as Q&As with the Berkeley Democratic Club.
(Please note: The BDC questionnaires were informative and readily available; sharing them here is not an endorsement of their positions. If you've seen other useful Q&As and candidate guides online, let us know and we'll see about including them.)
- Adena Ishii (education consultant)
- Sophie Hahn (Berkeley City Council member)
- Kate Harrison (international management consultant)
- Naomi D. Pete (no known website)
- Logan Bowie (paralegal) (no known website)
Berkeley City Council elections in November 2024
In addition to the mayor's race, four Berkeley City Council seats are on the November 2024 ballot. Read Berkeley City Council candidate statements submitted to the city as well as Q&As with the Berkeley Democratic Club.
Unsure what Berkeley City Council district you're in? The city has a handy tool for that.
- Berkeley City Council District 2 (West Berkeley)
- Terry Taplin (Berkeley City Council member)
- Jenny Guarino (union officer and organizer)
- Berkeley City Council District 3 (South Berkeley)
- Deborah Matthews (real estate broker)
- John "Chip" Moore (entrepreneur and graduate student)
- Ben Bartlett (Berkeley City Council member)
- Berkeley City Council District 5 (North Berkeley)
- Nilang Gor (scientist)
- Todd Andrew (community volunteer)
- Shoshana O’Keefe (teacher and zoning commissioner)
- Berkeley City Council District 6 (Berkeley Hills)
- Brent Blackaby (businessperson, commissioner, parent)
- Andy Katz (Director, Ward 4, East Bay Municipal Utility District)
Voters will also elect Rent Stabilization Board commissioners (4 seats) and School Board directors (2 seats) in November.
Other Nov. 5 candidates on Berkeley ballots
- California Senate District 7
See our February roundup of Senate District 7 positions. The candidates all have their own sections so you can easily get a sense of the differences between Arreguín and Beckles. They are stark.
Editor’s desk
- Congressional District 12 (for Barbara Lee's seat)
- Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 5 (for Keith Carson's seat)
DA Pamela Price recall will be on November ballot
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price sat down recently with the Berkeley Democratic Club (BDC) for a 45-minute interview with former Berkeley Councilwoman Lori Droste and other members of the BDC.
The BDC also spoke briefly with Price recall organizers.
On Sept. 19, the BDC held a short candidate forum related to the recall.
Unfortunately, DA Pamela Price couldn't make it. The video below includes people speaking for and against the recall.
Read more from the Protect the Win campaign supporting Pamela Price and the Save Alameda for Everyone (SAFE) campaign seeking to recall her.
If DA Price is recalled, it will be up to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to appoint her successor. Voters will simply choose yes or no on whether the recall should happen. Of course, we'll be following those details closely.
Read more about the Pamela Price recall election on The Scanner.
Berkeley, Alameda County election resources
We found a lot of the information for this roundup on the Alameda County Registrar of Voters site.
There, you can see candidate lists for all the different races.
Learn more about what's on your ballot (and register to vote) at Vote 411. You can enter your address to get personalized election information.
If you follow East Bay politics, we highly recommend Steven Tavares' East Bay Insiders Newsletter on Substack.
He gets deep into the nitty-gritty of the East Bay political scene.
More Berkeley, Alameda County election resources
- City of Berkeley elections page
- Berkeley candidate statements and ballot arguments
- Ballot tracker: "Where's my ballot?"
- Alameda County ROV website for the Nov. 5 general election
- Alameda County ROV list of all the candidates for Nov. 5
- Check your voter registration status in Alameda County or register to vote
- Vote centers in Alameda County (previously called polling places)
- Mapped: Vote-by-mail drop boxes
- ACROV: Frequently asked questions about local elections
- Berkeley Library's "Go Bears, Go Vote!" guide
What other resources are you using to get informed about upcoming elections in Berkeley and Alameda County? Are there candidate forums we should know about? Comment below or send us a tip.
