Candidate Statement of Qualifications
I, ALEJANDRO SOTO-VIGIL, hereby declare that I am a candidate for an elective office in the City of Berkeley, and make the following statement:
1. That my name is Alejandro Soto-Vigil
2. The office for which I am a candidate is Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Commissioner
3. That my residence is 1534 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94703
4. The place of my birth is Martinez, CA
5. My present occupation is Legislative Aide, Berkeley City Council
6. I have held the following public offices: Vice-Chair, Housing Advisory Commission (HAC); Member, HAC Community Development Block Grant Subcommittee; Member, HAC Relocation Ordinance Subcommittee; Commissioner, Public Works Commission; Commissioner, AC-Transit Accessibility Advisory Committee
7. Record of community service: Organizer, Honoring Dolores Huerta, 2012 Cesar Chavez Commemoration; President, Student Bar Association, University of the District of Columbia Law School; Founding Member, Richmond Progressive Alliance
8. I am a taxpayer in the City of Berkeley.
9. I’m a community-endorsed candidate for affordable housing. As a lifelong tenant, and father of two, I know how critical affordable housing and rent controls are to maintaining stable neighborhoods and diverse families in our city. If elected I’ll advocate for policies that strengthen tenant protections, improve the safety and habitability of rental housing, inform tenants and landlords of their rights and responsibilities, require earthquake retrofits, and promote recycling and energy efficiency in apartments. I’ve always sought creative solutions, especially for problems facing the most vulnerable among us. As a law student, I defended tenants against unfair eviction. As Legislative Aide, I organized actions to regain illegally withheld security deposits, supported tenants displaced by recent Berkeley fires, and problem-solved to stay evictions. As Vice-Chair of the Housing Advisory Commission, I lobbied to strengthen the Relocation Ordinance and advocated for more affordable housing funding. If elected, I’ll work to keep Berkeley a vibrant place where everyone can call home. I was selected by the 2012 Berkeley Affordable Housing Convention, a diverse coalition of tenants, landlords, and homeowners; Endorsed by Rent Board commissioners Stephens, Blake, Webster, Townley, and Harr; EBMUD Director Andy Katz; and Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson.
10. I refer to the following residents of the City of Berkeley:
Judy Shelton, Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner
Igor Tregub, Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner; Housing Advisory Commissioner
Asa Dodsworth, Rent Board Commissioner
Jesse Arreguín, Berkeley City Councilmember, District 4
Kriss Worthington, Berkeley City Councilmember District 7
Max Anderson, Berkeley City Council District 3
Beatriz Levya-Cutler, Berkeley School Board Member
J. George Lippman, Chair, Peace and Justice Commission
Leah Simon-Weisberg, Legal Director, Tenants Together
Linda Franklin, Director of Alameda County WIC (Womens, Infants, & Childrens – Nutrition Counseling program); former Community Health Commissioner
‘boona cheema’, Ex Director of BOSS (Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency)
Sally Hindman, Executive Director, Youth Spirit Artworks
Daniel Tuchler, President, Cal Berkeley Democrats
Alex Ghenis, Disability Rights Activist, Former Vice President for External Affairs, Berkeley Student Cooperative
Winston Burton, Berkeley Board of Library Trustees, Chair
Stephen Murphy, Attorney, Commissioner, Housing Advisory Commission
Willie Phillips, Board Member of Resource Community Development
Audrey Frey, Former Co-Director of Renters’ Legal Assistance
Mary Rose Kaczorowski, Calif. Women’s Agenda Environmental Task Co-Chair
Judy Ann Alberti, BCA, Former Rent Board Commissioner
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