BERKELEY — With two vacant seats open on the Berkeley City Council, voters will get the chance to name new representatives in two separate special elections running on slightly different schedules.
Just weeks after Councilmember Rigel Robinson, the youngest councilmember in Berkeley history, resigned, citing escalating harassment, burn out and a wish to focus on his family, Councilmember Kate Harrison also announced she’d be stepping down, her reason being the city’s broken process. Robinson also called off his race for Berkeley mayor while Harrison’s campaign for mayor has remained active.
In two separate special elections starting this April, voters will get to decide who will replace Robinson in District 7, which covers much of the UC Berkeley campus, and Harrison in District 4, which includes downtown and central Berkeley.
Two candidates are already in the race to replace Robinson — James Chang, a chief of staff for Councilmember Ben Bartlett, and Cecilia Lunaparra, a UC Berkeley senior studying history and urban studies.
The filing period for Robinson’s seat closed Feb. 16 but those interested in running for the District 4 seat have until March 29 to file paperwork.
District 7 mail ballots will go out March 18 and are due by April 16. District residents have until April 1 to register to vote. For District 4, mail ballot voting will begin April 29 with ballots due by May 28. Voters in that district have until May 13 to register for a mail ballot.
Eligible voters — U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old — in both elections can still register and vote in person at the Alameda County elections office or their voting centers.
In-person vote centers in both districts will be announced closer to election day, and drop boxes will be located in front of Berkeley City Hall at 2180 Milvia St. for both races. An additional box will be on the UC Berkeley campus between Sather Gate and the Architects & Engineers Building for the District 4 race. District 7 voters will find an additional ballot box on the driveway behind City Hall.
Winners in both races will finish out the last two years of Robinson and Harrison’s terms which run through the end of 2026.