> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Who is Berkeley City Council candidate Laura Babitt? - URL: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/elections/berkeley-city-council-candidate-laura-babitt/ - Published: 2026-09-24T23:20:26.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-24T23:20:26.000Z - Description: "I’m ready to bring my governing and financial experience to City Council to turn our priorities into results." - Author: Guest Contributor - Tags: Elections, City Council, Community, #articles **Name:** Laura Babitt **Age:** 50 **Occupation:** Accountant/operations executive **What office are you are running for?** Berkeley City Council, District 1 **What is the main reason you are running?** After spending years as an education advocate, I learned that no one will fight for your kids like you will. I stepped up and ran for School Board, where I learned how to turn advocacy into results. Today, Berkeley faces serious challenges — from affordability and homelessness to our structural deficit and aging infrastructure. I’m stepping up again because District 1 is home, and I’m ready to bring my governing and financial experience to City Council to turn our priorities into results. **Why are you qualified?** I bring experience as an elected Berkeley School Board President and more than 25 years as a financial executive. On the School Board, I worked with City Council to maximize taxpayer dollars for students and educators while managing difficult budgets, increasing educator pay and protecting programs. Professionally, I manage multimillion-dollar global budgets and operations. With Berkeley facing a nearly $30M structural deficit, I know how to read government budgets, ask hard questions, build coalitions across demographics, and turn priorities into results. **What sets you apart from other candidates?** I bring proven public-service governing experience, financial expertise, and generational roots in Berkeley. I’ve governed through budget cuts, COVID, and difficult public debates. The issues facing Berkeley will change, and governing requires more than having ideas for how today’s issues should be resolved. It requires listening, weighing facts and competing priorities, making difficult decisions, building coalitions across demographics, and delivering results. District 1 needs leadership ready to govern on day one. **How and when did you end up in Berkeley?** I grew up in Oakland and married into a long-term Berkeley family. After my aunt passed, we moved into her Berkeley home, directly behind my sister’s house. My Berkeley family and community elders made sure I understood our connection to the city’s history, its tradition of activism, and how Berkeley comes together as a community. When I began raising my family here over 17 years ago, I embraced that spirit of activism, carrying the torch for a Berkeley that lives up to its values. **What are the three biggest challenges for Berkeley in the next five years?** 1. Fiscal stability & infrastructure: Address our structural deficit while tackling close to $2 billion in infrastructure and deferred maintenance needs. 2. Affordability & homelessness: Create housing working families and retirees can afford while moving people from homelessness toward long-term stability. 3. Thriving neighborhoods: Support small businesses and create safe, clean, welcoming neighborhoods with reliable public services and spaces for every generation. **How would you begin to address them?** First, ensure fiscal stability through stronger oversight, realistic budgeting, streamlined operations, and measurable outcomes so taxpayer dollars deliver results. Second, create and preserve truly affordable and workforce housing, reduce unnecessary barriers to a range of housing types, prevent displacement, and connect people experiencing homelessness with housing, behavioral-health care, treatment, and wraparound services. Third, invest strategically in streets, sidewalks, and aging infrastructure while supporting neighborhood businesses and commercial corridors. Across all three, I would set measurable goals, strengthen county, state, and community partnerships, listen to affected communities, and publicly track whether our policies are actually working. **What is one new idea you'd like to bring to Berkeley?** I’d bring a stronger performance-and-results approach to City government. For major programs and investments, Council should establish clear goals, timelines, costs and measurable outcomes—and residents should be able to easily see the results. Whether we’re spending money on homelessness, infrastructure or economic development, success shouldn’t be measured by how much we spend or how many policies we pass, but by whether conditions actually improve. **How will you be accessible to constituents?** As an advocate who fought to be heard, my leadership begins with listening. I’ll hold regular neighborhood office hours and community conversations, meet residents where they are, respond to constituent concerns, and communicate what I’m working on and why. I’ll engage people before major decisions are made. Most importantly, I’ll remain accessible to people who disagree with me. Good decisions come from listening to different perspectives and staying connected to the community. **Are you using public financing?** Yes **How much money do you expect to spend on your campaign?** $65,000 **A final thought?** Berkeley is a city with strong voices, big ideas, and people who care deeply about their community. Our city needs leadership that will listen, bring people together, and offer solutions. District 1 is my home, and I’m ready to Listen, Connect, and Deliver. My endorsements include #1 choice of Berkeley Firefighter Association, Democratic Clubs, Councilmembers, and our State Senator. **Campaign website:** [Laura4d1.com](https://www.laura4d1.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) | [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61593496355417) | [Instagram](http://instagram.com/laurababitt?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) *See complete* [*election*](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/elections/) *coverage on The Berkeley Scanner.* ## Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner Authoritative public safety and politics news coverage in Berkeley, CA Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.