The Editorial Board endorses the Berkeley Right to Housing Slate for the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board, which is responsible for Berkeley’s tenant and rent ordinances and is currently seeking five candidates to fill its open seats. The slate, composed of two incumbents and three newcomers, intends to address Berkeley housing concerns by securing tenant protections, protecting affordable housing and fighting rent increases. Considering Berkeley’s housing and affordability crisis, the city needs a slate dedicated to protecting the community.

Avery Arbaugh

Avery Arbaugh is a powerhouse in tenant organizing. As chair of the Berkeley Tenants Union, head of the Berkeley Tenant Organizing Task Force and tenant organizer for the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, she is more than qualified to represent tenants’ best interests on Berkeley’s rent board. In 2024, Arbaugh campaigned for Measure BB, which passed and established the right for tenants to organize.

In an interview with the Editorial Board, Arbaugh said although she had already helped 12 buildings unionize in Berkeley, she now hopes to double that number, affirming her continuous commitment to advocating for tenants seeking union representation. Through community outreach with tenant unions and student organizations, Arbaugh will push for accessible and affordable housing for everyone. Now more than ever, Berkeley needs someone with Arbaugh’s experience and drive.

Ida Martinac

Ida Martinac has served on the Berkeley rent board since 2022 and hopes to continue pushing for climate preparedness and resilience in her next term. Unlike other candidates, Martinac’s particular focus on climate injustice brings a unique and much-needed perspective on tenant protections. She recognizes tenants’ vulnerability to climate shifts, intending to protect them from the health impacts of air quality fluctuations and temperature swings through energy efficiency enhancements, weatherization and renewable energy implementation.

Her strong expertise in environmental law and policy, as well as her experience serving on the rent board’s Habitability Committee, has prepared her to advocate thoughtful, climate-conscious solutions for renters. Martinac also recognizes the centrality of community outreach to the rent board’s success and intends to improve existing social media campaigns and in-person efforts to engage with underrepresented communities, including the elderly. Martinac’s cognizance of accessibility alongside the importance of actively targeting environmental inequity is timely and entirely necessary.

Nathan Mizell

Nathan Mizell has served on the Berkeley rent board since 2022. His experience with civilian oversight and protection is extensive, serving as chair of Berkeley’s Reimagining Public Safety Task Force and vice chair of the Police Accountability Board. As a rent board commissioner, he strongly advocated tenants’ rights to organize and pushed for the passage of Measure BB.

Mizell intends to continue fighting for fundamental rights while expanding community outreach efforts and preventing discrimination in renting. His emphasis on broadening resource distribution, improving accessibility through multilingual resource availability and expanding access to information on tenant unionizing will keep the rent board moving forward in the interest of all tenants. Additionally, his intention to address homelessness and defend against evictions, backed by his strong foundation in police accountability organizing, is just what Berkeley needs.

Vylma Ortiz

Vylma Ortiz is a champion of affordable housing — a dedication evidently reflected in her experience as a public defender and an Eviction Defense Center attorney. For Ortiz, having a safe, livable and affordable home is a human right — an ethos she plans on bringing to the rent board through community education.

Specifically, Ortiz wants to secure a social media manager, disseminate “know your rights” information to all tenants and include more languages in communications. In an interview with the Editorial Board, she underscored the importance of balancing power between tenants and renters by implementing policy that protects from retaliation and differentiates between small and large property owners. Expanded inclusion, at the forefront of Ortiz’s platform, considers the diversity of our city’s renters by advocating for and educating them.

Derek Rodriguez

Derek Rodriguez, a current undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, fights for those who don’t have access to the safe housing they deserve. His experience forming The Bishop Tenants Association, working in the Berkeley Tenant Organizing Task Force and leading tenant education workshops shows a consistent dedication to community tenant advocacy. Due to his prior experience living in suboptimal conditions, he wants to bring dignified and secure housing to all Berkeley residents.

Rodriguez stated his focus on protecting the tenant protections we already have. He will ensure that people know about the right to organize granted by Measure BB. As the measure continues to roll out, Rodriguez supports expansion of Measure BB to cover all buildings, rather than only buildings that meet the measure’s requirements. Through community outreach and education, Rodriguez hopes to give tenants the building blocks needed to engage in their own tenant organizing and maintain their rights for good.

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.