Who is Berkeley City Council candidate Daria Wrubel?
"Now more than ever, Berkeley needs to stand strong as a place of hope, resistance, and community."
Name: Daria Wrubel
Age: 53
Occupation: Family & youth therapist
What office are you are running for? Berkeley City Council, District 1
What is the main reason you are running? I’m running to prove that excellent city services can be guided by and grounded in our progressive values.
We can modernize city services, cut red tape, and focus on public safety, while also protecting immigrants, small businesses, tenants, civil liberties, and the environment.
I chose to run after the city council voted to fund Flock and expand Trump's surveillance state. I felt the anger and fear of my family, friends, and neighbors, and knew in my bones that Berkeley was better than this.
Why are you qualified? I've spent my career serving families in the Bay Area - as a garden teacher, a union organizer, and an adolescent therapist.
As an organizer, I stood up to federal funding cuts, reinstated staff positions, and passed a city wide Soda Tax.
As a community activist, I’ve served immigrant communities.
While I have an undergraduate degree in urban studies, I have a graduate degree in counseling psychology. This gives me a unique perspective to not only understand the issues, but to create trust with people who don’t always agree with me and move projects across the finish line.
What sets you apart from other candidates? There are a number of candidates in this race - what sets me apart is my ability to bring together a diverse and eclectic coalition, be honest and direct about my values, and rebuild trust with our city council.
I have a proven track record of service to our city and our communities, with documented success building coalitions and getting things done. From the schools to the streets, I have been involved with my community.
I am the candidate with the deepest roots in Berkeley, the longest history of service, and the best record when it comes to coalition leadership and consensus building.
How and when did you end up in Berkeley? I was born in Berkeley to a single mom who was born in Berkeley. My husband grew up in Berkeley, we got married in Berkeley, and we raised my daughter not just in Berkeley, but in District 1.
Berkeley’s values are in blood: my mother, myself, and now my daughter are being raised in this wonderful, diverse, quirky, and beautiful city.
What are the three biggest challenges for Berkeley in the next five years? Now more than ever, Berkeley needs to stand strong as a place of hope, resistance, and community. We need to be organized, united, and focused on results-oriented policies.
Our first priority must be to balance our budget and secure long-term, stable funding to keep our services robust and equitable.
Berkeley needs to fight back against mass surveillance and authoritarian overreach by banning Flock in Berkeley, and keeping our enforceable sanctuary city policies.
We need an affordable city, one where my daughter can pay rent when she graduates, and single moms like my own can raise a kid.
How would you begin to address them? It is crucial that Berkeley creates new progressive revenue to prevent cutting more essential city services.
As a council member, I would introduce a Commercial Vacancy Tax, which both raises revenue and reduces blight, a Second Home Tax, and a Parking Lot Tax (land for commercial parking lots is currently exempt from being taxed).
I believe a progressive vision of Berkeley is pro-tenant, pro-housing, and pro-small business. I support building density near transit, and preserving existing affordable units through programs like Small Sites.
I will work with my council colleagues, our commissions, community organizations, and district residents, to write effective policies and find paths to compromise that move policies along instead of letting them get caught up in years of division.
What is one new idea you'd like to bring to Berkeley? A Commercial Vacancy Tax would both raise revenue and help fill vacant storefronts. In 2022, Berkeley voters passed Measure M for a residential vacancy tax with 65% of the vote, and now it’s time to bring that same energy to empty storefronts.
Our current council has done valuable work to address commercial blight in our downtown, but more direct action with a focus on the whole city is needed. In partnership with stakeholders, we can draft a thoughtful proposal to put on a future ballot.
How will you be accessible to constituents? No amount of policy expertise can solve a problem when the community isn’t on board.
As an educator, organizer, and therapist, I understand conflict resolution requires more than just listening. It requires transparency, collaboration, and accountability.
In order to bring the voice of every District 1 resident into city hall and stay accountable to them every step of the way, I will have regular office hours, town halls, and a responsive constituent services staff.
Are you using public financing? Yes
How much money do you expect to spend on your campaign? The estimated budget for our campaign is $64,000.
A final thought? We have a coalition of trust across the city and are building the momentum to win!
Campaign website: dariaforberkeley.com | Instagram | Facebook
See complete election coverage on The Berkeley Scanner.
