> ## 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. # A political crossroads for northwest Berkeley's District 1 - URL: https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/10/31/community/northwest-berkeley-district-1-council-election-forum-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-31T07:39:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-31T08:43:44.000Z - Description: Outgoing Councilwoman Rashi Kesarwani has made her choice. Will voters follow her lead? - Author: Emilie Raguso - Tags: Community, Elections, City Council, Northwest Berkeley, #articles The race for [northwest Berkeley's open council seat](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/community/election-2026-who-is-running-for-berkeley-council-district-1/) has exposed sharp differences over policing, homelessness and bike lanes on Hopkins Street. At a Sept. 28 election forum hosted by the [League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville](https://lwvbae.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com), the candidates described how they would approach [northwest Berkeley's](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/northwest-berkeley/) pressing issues. The District 1 race is the city's most crowded council contest, with five candidates vying to replace [outgoing Councilwoman Rashi Kesarwani](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/04/09/community/rashi-kesarwani-berkeley-city-council-will-not-run-again/). Under her leadership since 2018, District 1 has been a reliable vote for the City Council's more moderate wing, which has supported [police funding and tools](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/07/01/community/berkeley-police-seek-bids-drones-cameras/), [stricter enforcement of homeless encampment rules](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2024/09/09/policing/berkeley-homeless-camp-enforcement-resolution-city-council/) and the decision [not to call for a ceasefire](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2025/04/30/community/berkeley-city-council-gaza-ceasefire-vote/) in Gaza last year. The five candidates, in ballot order, are [Steve Kromer](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/elections/berkeley-city-council-candidate-steve-kromer/), [Daria Wrubel](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/elections/berkeley-city-council-candidate-daria-wrubel/), [Laura Babitt](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/elections/berkeley-city-council-candidate-laura-babitt/), [Ross Bernet](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/elections/berkeley-city-council-candidate-ross-bernet/) and [Moni Gangopadhyay](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/elections/berkeley-city-council-candidate-moni-gangopadhyay/). ## Flock cameras: Privacy violation or critical tool? One of the starkest divisions at the forum emerged over Berkeley's contract with [Flock Safety](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/flock-cameras/), the vendor [Berkeley police](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/berkeley-police-department/) use to access license plate data. The Berkeley City Council [extended the Flock contract in May](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/05/12/community/berkeley-extends-flock-camera-contract-drones-postponed/) but its future in the city remains uncertain. Gangopadhyay took the broadest stance against surveillance, arguing that it provides too many opportunities for abuse. "It is a violation of our civil rights. And we've all read *1984*, right?" she said. She said community members had made clear their "overwhelming objection" to Flock, and surveillance as a whole, the night council voted on the Flock contract. "I don't think that even a closed system is safe because the federal government can secretly subpoena that data and we would never know," Gangopadhyay said. Wrubel, who has made opposition to mass surveillance a centerpiece of her campaign, said she would not only have voted against Flock but also removed [Berkeley's existing cameras](https://transparency.flocksafety.com/berkeley-ca-pd?ref=berkeleyscanner.com). She said she would consider license plate readers only if the data remained on city servers accessed solely with a judicial warrant. Bernet and Kromer were more receptive to license plate readers, while acknowledging concerns about Flock. Bernet said Berkeley officials had taken the right approach by slowing down the process to expand surveillance technologies, [seeking proposals from interested vendors](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/07/01/community/berkeley-police-seek-bids-drones-cameras/). He called for a "nuanced take" with appropriate data and privacy safeguards in any city contract. "I think these cameras work, and I think that's why they've expanded so rapidly," he said. Kromer similarly distinguished between the technology and the city's procurement process, saying he wanted to evaluate the available options and consult experts. "I'm not particularly worried about the technology," he said, adding: "You got to break up the problem, think about it separately: the technology, how it's applied — license plate readers, red light readers, contracts — and use balance." Babitt criticized Flock's record and said Berkeley should not expand its relationship with the company. "There are cities all over this country that are divesting specifically from Flock. To me, it shouldn't have even been a question or a debate," she said. She left open the possibility of working with another provider, but said she'd have to be convinced. "Crime is down," Babitt said. "There's no correlation that it's because of license plate readers." Berkeley police have said Flock is a [critical part of their work](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/04/14/community/berkeley-police-staffing-new-low-layoff-concerns/) in terms of solving crimes and building strong cases for prosecution, particularly amid a [years-long staffing crisis](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/police-staffing/) that has hurt morale and hampered their efforts. ## D1 candidates split on public safety The candidates' positions on surveillance reflect broader disagreements about public safety, even as Berkeley faces difficult decisions about police staffing and spending. In his campaign platform, Bernet explicitly supports [providing police with the resources to respond to violent crime](https://ballotpedia.org/Ross%5FBernet%5F%28Berkeley%5FCity%5FCouncil%2C%5FDistrict%5F1%2C%5FCalifornia%2C%5Fcandidate%5F2026%29?ref=berkeleyscanner.com), alongside civilian oversight, community policing and alternative emergency response programs. "Every family in District 1 deserves to feel safe at home, walking to school, or out in their neighborhood at night," he wrote. Kromer alone [identified public safety as one of the city's biggest challenges](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/elections/berkeley-city-council-candidate-steve-kromer/) in response to questions posed by The Scanner. "Berkeley needs to accept that it's the city's role to provide order," he wrote in his candidate Q&A, while also expressing support for accountability for police technology and spending. Babitt has expressed support for "effective police, fire, and emergency response," without going into detail, while also giving weight to civil liberties concerns. To that end, unlike Bernet and Kromer, she has been more circumspect about license plate readers, suggesting that her support for law enforcement may not translate into support for the tools police say they need. Bernet — Kesarwani's chosen successor — has been endorsed by the [Berkeley Police Association](https://www.berkeleypa.com/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) and was the [firefighter union's](https://www.bffa1227.org/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) second choice, behind Babitt. Gangopadhyay, the pick for progressive coalition [Flip the Berkeley City Council](https://www.flipbcc.org/en/?ref=berkeleyscanner.com), has called for a [stronger Police Accountability Board](https://www.flipbcc.org/assets/questionnaires/Moni%5FGangopadhyay%5FQuestionnaire.pdf?ref=berkeleyscanner.com) with more input into city policies and a continued [ban on tear gas](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/30/community/divided-berkeley-council-upholds-police-tear-gas-ban/) for Berkeley police. At a Flip the Berkeley City Council event in August, she advocated for alternatives to traditional policing, including sending mental health professionals to certain calls instead of officers, and opposed police "tools of force," such as helicopters and dogs. "They haven't been working and are costing our city money," she said. "I am completely against that." Wrubel, meanwhile, explained at the same event that she had entered the race partly because of Kesarwani's stance on policing, after she "started making proposals for expanded police powers and quadrupling mass surveillance budgets." Wrubel continued: "I decided that was the place where I could contribute, where I could stand against authoritarian overreach, against collaboration with that kind of regime, and I could make a positive difference for my community." Asked why Berkeley still lacks a 24/7 alternative to police emergency response, Wrubel pointed to the budget. "Everything that costs money requires sacrifice and they didn't want to make the sacrifice," she said. [Exclusive: Rashi Kesarwani will not seek re-electionIn a deep-dive interview with The Scanner, she looked back at her nearly eight years as the Berkeley City Council member for District 1.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-48b85d32-5e9b-4847-9981-c3afaff256f4.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/rashi-kesarwani-BI6A4670-bdc7a08a-d243-4e5b-97a9-e2541f3ee41b.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/04/09/community/rashi-kesarwani-berkeley-city-council-will-not-run-again/) ## Homeless encampments expose another divide At the League of Women Voters forum, the candidates also differed over how Berkeley should address [homeless encampments](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/homeless-encampments/) in District 1. Babitt argued that the city's approach had failed both unhoused residents and surrounding neighborhoods. "We do need a no camping ordinance on our streets," she said, adding that many people had been offered homes but refused them "because they would actually prefer to be on the sidewalks." Babitt also emphasized the need for mental health care, substance use treatment and transitional housing, and said she would work to secure more state funding to support expanded services. "We know that it's going to take deeper pockets than Berkeley has," Babitt said. Wrubel pushed back on the idea that unhoused people prefer to remain outside, saying shelter offers often come with curfews, and restrictions on pets and belongings. Wrubel said it would be important to ask unhoused individuals what they would need to go inside. "I don't actually believe that people prefer to live on the street," she said. "I really worry a lot about a camping ban criminalizing homelessness. Jailing people is not a solution." Gangopadhyay also emphasized the need to "listen and acknowledge and be informed" by unhoused residents themselves. "I have talked to people in the encampments. I think that's very important to talk to the people who are going to be affected," she said. Bernet called for a "kind, compassionate, and firm approach" that would prevent encampments from getting started in the first place. He stressed the need to expand housing opportunities and tackle the issue regionally in coordination with Alameda County. Kromer, meanwhile, said homelessness was too complicated to address in a one-minute answer. He emphasized the legal complexity and the need to balance competing rights, particularly with [ongoing federal litigation](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/10/27/community/berkeley-can-close-harrison-encampment-9th-circuit-says/) impacting how Berkeley approaches its rules around encampments. ## Hopkins bike lanes raise questions The controversial [Hopkins Street bicycle lane project](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/07/30/community/berkeley-hopkins-bike-lanes-approved/) produced another clear split. Wrubel supported moving forward with the plan — but only if the city could address "ADA accessibility, loading zones for the businesses and maintaining as many parking spaces as possible in the commercial zone." She said she was concerned about how "divisive" the issue had become in Berkeley. "It's really become a stand-in for a generational struggle between older residents who feel like they're being disregarded and neglected and younger residents who feel like they're also being vilified in some way." Bernet was the staunchest supporter of the bike lanes, saying Berkeley needs streets where families can safely travel without cars. He said he agreed with Wrubel, however, that the issue had "become bigger" than the bike lanes themselves. "Infrastructure improvement is scary," Bernet said. "And then when it happens, life goes on, and it's even better than before. I feel very confident the shops will be just fine if we figure out curb management to ensure folks that can't drive or can't bike can still drive there." Babitt questioned whether the proposed design would actually improve safety, citing driveways, intersections, emergency access and parking losses. She said she would have [supported an alternative proposal](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/07/30/community/berkeley-hopkins-bike-lanes-approved/) calling for more analysis rather than proceeding with the council vote in July. "I was surprised when I learned how little information council had when they made that decision," Babitt said. "I don't see that as a safe solution." Gangopadhyay was even more pointed, calling the vote "irresponsible and not good governance." She agreed with the need for more analysis, particularly by first responders. "It's not necessarily safer and it removes accessibility to the majority of Hopkins users," said Gangopadhyay. Kromer focused less on the merits of the bike lanes than on what he saw as a "flawed process." "Having a meeting the last week before summer break that didn't have all the facts left us in this disarray that — everyone's nodding to that, right? The process was broken," he said. "I'd first and foremost want to bring all the facts to the table," he said. "Those things were not done, and that's the main thing I'm worried about here." *Election Day is Nov. 3\. Read more* [*election coverage*](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/topic/elections/) *on TBS.* ## Watch the full District 1 Berkeley City Council candidate forum ## Learn more about Berkeley's District 1 candidates [Who is running for Berkeley City Council District 1?We posed a dozen questions to all five candidates running for the District 1 (northwest Berkeley) City Council in November 2026.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/icon/The-Berkeley-Scanner_Icon_Color-79bedf3c-0d8a-44ce-8b4d-49b003748aea.jpg)The Berkeley ScannerEmilie Raguso![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/8e/3b/8e3bb516-9b88-46c2-aa85-566ed9c3647c/content/images/thumbnail/berkeley-council-D1-d81771c3-2884-4f2f-b297-4271fdc2bdf2.jpg)](https://www.berkeleyscanner.com/2026/09/24/community/election-2026-who-is-running-for-berkeley-council-district-1/) ## Sign up for The Berkeley Scanner Authoritative public safety and politics news coverage in Berkeley, CA Subscribe Email sent! 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