District 7 is home to UC Berkeley students and long-time Berkeley residents alike. Encompassing Berkeley’s Southside, the next city councilmember representing District 7 must navigate issues concerning rising rent, public safety, housing development and surveillance.
The Editorial Board believes that candidate Syrak Micael’s extensive personal and professional experience makes him the best candidate to tackle these challenges.
A lifelong Berkeley resident and graduate of Berkeley High School, Berkeley City College and UC Berkeley, Micael knows the city well. His involvement in local advocacy began with his work as the ASUC transfer student representative in 2024, when he worked with transfer and nontraditional students toward the creation of reentry themed housing, as well to write grants to improve lighting at University Village. Currently, Micael serves on the city’s Housing Advisory Commission.
Micael has garnered endorsements from a broad coalition of labor unions, tenant unions and progressive organizations, including the Alameda Labor Council, the Berkeley Tenants Union and the East Bay Democratic Socialists. In an interview with the Editorial Board, Micael stated his goal for a $30 minimum wage by 2030 and fair contracts for all workers, emphasizing his commitment to ensuring workers get their basic needs met. Additionally, Micael champions an antisurveillance and anticarceral approach to community safety, planning to leverage partnerships established during his time in the ASUC to protect and develop tenants’ rights.
In response to the housing crisis, Micael aims to strengthen tenant protections while also investing in more housing development. Drawing on his past experience in student and city government, he plans on using his connections to push for seismic safety solutions in Berkeley Student Cooperative housing, promote transit-oriented housing developments and publish a housing transparency page where the public can keep track of housing development progress.
Micael places particular emphasis on his vision for a car-free Telegraph Avenue, which he hopes to transform into a vibrant community third space that prioritizes pedestrian safety and protects small businesses. He also plans to revitalize the Dwight Triangle to make it a welcoming community space.
Unlike his challenger Aidan Hill, Micael’s proposals are grounded in practicality and feasibility. Despite Hill’s past experience running for office, their campaign includes unrealistic goals. Hill speaks eloquently and passionately about reclaiming People’s Park, emphasizing the need for a communal space of gathering. But their desire to restore People’s Park is idealistic and overlooks the challenges of reversing the ongoing development.
For a district struggling with low voter turnout and in desperate need of effective representation, we believe in Micael’s actionable policy proposals and deep community ties.
Vote Syrak Micael for District 7.
Editorials, including endorsements, represent solely the majority opinion of the student editorial board of The Daily Californian and not those of the University of California or any nonstudent party.