Who is Berkeley City Council candidate Igor Tregub?

Name: Igor Tregub

Age: 41

Occupation: Berkeley City Council, District 4

What office are you are running for? Berkeley City Council, District 4

What is the main reason you are running? When you elected me two years ago, I promised to be accessible, attentive, and focused on solving our city’s most pressing needs. Promises made; promises kept. Serving you and showing up for our district is my full-time role. It would be my deepest honor to earn your vote for a full term, so we can finish the work we started together: for a Berkeley we can all call home; a safe, accessible, and vibrant downtown in which small businesses and arts and culture can thrive; and more.

Why are you qualified? I bring over 20 years of experience serving the Berkeley community and greater region on a dozen commissions. I’ve also managed millions-dollar federal budgets and took on the for-profit utility monopoly for the right of everyone to access affordable, clean, and local energy. Every day, 60 hours per week, I go to work on behalf of you: my office has resolved hundreds of constituent cases, and I have brought millions of state and regional dollars to programs that benefit you. And we're just getting started!

What sets you apart from other candidates? While I respect the other candidate, several considerations set me apart:

• I'm proven and effective. Dozens of items that I have worked on have either been codified into law or are in process of being implemented.
• I'm a pragmatic progressive. I craft the strongest policies that will garner the five votes needed for adoption by a council.
• I listen. As a native of Ukraine, a deep commitment to transparency, accountability, and democracy is in my DNA. I listen to others’ perspectives and lived experiences, meet everyone where they are at, and honor our shared passion for helping each other.

How and when did you end up in Berkeley? I came to Berkeley as a Cal student, 23 years ago. In 2006, the iconic former Berkeley District 4 Councilmember Dona Spring appointed me to my first Berkeley commission - the Commission on Labor. After graduating with degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Political Science, I took two oaths of office, equally meaningful to me: to give back to a nation that has given my immigrant family so much, through public service in the federal government, and to serve our community on the Rent Board.

What are the three biggest challenges for Berkeley in the next five years?

• The Affordability Crisis - We need to continue and expand strategies shown to make the cost of housing, utilities, and other essentials more affordable for our community.
• The City Budget - The city council recently had to close a nearly $30 million structural budget deficit, and we are unfortunately not out of the woods yet.
• Unfunded Needs and Liabilities - While tremendous progress has been made by this council to close the gap, a shortfall of $1.5-2 billion remains to resolve all of the city's aging infrastructure needs alone. Pension-related and other liabilities also loom."

How would you begin to address them? My federal experience managing a millons-dollar budget informs my work to address the budgetary challenges discussed above. Through my ability to find efficiencies in the budget, we were able to restore some of the funding previously slated for cuts. I'm actively exploring opportunities to raise a sufficiently sustainable revenue base to reinstate a mobile crisis center - which would offset the costs currently incurred through Police and Fire handling nonviolent mental health-related calls for service. And I play a key role on the council to tackle the un-affordability crisis too many of our neighbors face, including a focus on all three P’s of housing (production, protection, preservation), while, as an Ava Community Energy board member, lowering the cost of utilities and transportation.

What is one new idea you'd like to bring to Berkeley? Since day 1, I've been laser-focused on tackling the commercial vacancy rate in our downtown. While for the first time since 2019, it has dipped below 10%, more work remains. Through a series of items I've authored and that have been unanimously adopted by the Council, the city is in the process of implementing opportunities to reduce red tape for small businesses to make a home in our downtown and require commercial property owners to provide utility hookups so the space is ready for occupancy.

How will you be accessible to constituents? Access and proximity to those I serve is a cornerstone of my time in office. I hold regular office hours; hold District 4 listening sessions on contentious issues before they come to council for a vote; meet with constituents regularly (contact itregub@berkeleyca.gov with a scheduling request); read every constituent email; and provide substantive updates on our work together on District 4, city, and regional issues through monthly constituent newsletters (sign up at https://bit.ly/Igornews).

Are you using public financing? Yes

How much money do you expect to spend on your campaign? $50,000 to $70,000

A final thought? Disastrous Trump Administration decisions have caused significant financial uncertainty in local government while drastically increasing the cost of living for all of us. Our immigrant neighbors live in fear; free speech is under attack; and federal grants have been cut. Now more than ever, experienced focused leadership is essential to help us meet this moment. I'd be honored to earn your vote.

Campaign website: igortregub.com | Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky

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