{"id":280689,"date":"2026-04-22T19:15:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/280689\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T19:15:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:15:15","slug":"2-berkeley-council-members-wont-seek-re-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/280689\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Berkeley council members won\u2019t seek re-election"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PeopleMembers of the Berkeley City Council are seen in a 2025 file photo. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/Catchlight<\/p>\n

Berkeley Councilmembers Rashi Kesarwani and Cecilia Lunaparra say they won\u2019t run for re-election, meaning two of this year\u2019s four council races will not feature an incumbent on the ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Councilmembers Igor Tregub and Mark Humbert both told Berkeleyside they are planning to seek new four-year terms representing the city\u2019s core and its southeast corner, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The field for November\u2019s council races is still a long way from being set, as the deadlines for candidates to file for office aren\u2019t until August.<\/p>\n

Kesarwani has represented Northwest Berkeley\u2019s District 1 since 2018<\/a>, while Lunaparra was elected to the student-dominated District 7 seat covering the Southside neighborhood during a special election in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kesarwani championed the effort to build hundreds of apartments<\/a> atop the parking lots at the North Berkeley BART station in her district<\/a>, as well as other zoning and policy changes<\/a> meant to increase housing construction<\/a> throughout the city. She also authored a policy that expanded the city\u2019s authority<\/a> to remove homeless encampments without offering their residents shelter elsewhere, pushed for Berkeley to dedicate a bigger share of its budget<\/a> to street paving and more recently has backed the police department\u2019s requests for new surveillance technology<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a post on her LinkedIn page, Kesarwani thanked her family members, council colleagues, city workers and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has truly been an honor to serve the residents of Berkeley\u2019s District 1 for these past nearly eight years,\u201d she wrote. \u201cWe have been relentless in our pursuit of progress, and I am incredibly proud of the tangible results we\u2019ve delivered together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel extremely lucky for the opportunity afforded to me by the voters, and I intend to continue my work to ensure greater opportunity for the next generation of Californians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kesarwani\u2019s decision was first reported<\/a> by the Berkeley Scanner.<\/p>\n

Lunaparra was a UC Berkeley undergrad when she won her two-year term at a tumultuous moment for city politics<\/a>, filling the seat vacated by former Councilmember Rigel Robinson<\/a> in the first of two sudden resignations in early 2024. As student protests against the Israeli war in Gaza intensified at UC Berkeley<\/a> and colleges nationwide \u2014 and the Berkeley City Council refused to take up a resolution<\/a> calling for an end to the bombardment, leading to raucous protests at its meetings \u2014 Lunaparra made her support for the Palestinian cause<\/a> central to her campaign.<\/p>\n

She also backed moves to build more housing<\/a> as a council member, though Lunaparra and Kesarwani were on the opposite sides of several other high-profile debates. Lunaparra has pushed for tighter accountability measures<\/a> for police and wants the department to end its contract with the surveillance technology company Flock Safety. She opposed the new policy for encampment sweeps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have found it immensely gratifying and humbling to wake up every morning with the incredible responsibility of being the voice of my neighborhood, of students, and of progressives in City Hall,\u201d Lunaparra wrote in a statement, in which she also thanked her family, staff and other council members. \u201cI am immensely proud of everything we have accomplished. I am also equally proud of the fights that we have fought and lost, because they were fights worth having.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that she plans to \u201ccontinue my life\u2019s work of organizing and supporting the places and people I care so deeply about.\u201d<\/p>\n

City records show three people \u2014 John Espinoza, Aidan Hill and Syrak Micael \u2014 have filed to run for the District 7 seat as of Tuesday. Lunaparra endorsed Micael in her statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One person, Manisha \u201cMoni\u201d Gangopadhyay, has filed for the District 1 race. Kesarwani has not made an endorsement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tregub, who represents downtown and central Berkeley, and Humbert, whose district includes the Elmwood and Claremont neighborhoods, are the only candidates who have filed for their races so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile in my nearly 18 months on the council we\u2019ve been able to make headway in tackling some of the district\u2019s and city\u2019s toughest challenges, I will be seeking a full term to continue the progress we started, working hand in hand with these communities,\u201d Tregub wrote in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBerkeley\u2019s future is personal to me,\u201d Humbert wrote in his own statement. \u201cI\u2019m running for reelection in District 8 to continue my work on housing, public safety, and better streets. I want Berkeley to be an affordable, safe, and inclusive place where my own daughters have the same opportunity I did to raise a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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