Who We Are
The League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay is the political arm of the environmental movement in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We are an all volunteer board, and our work is simple to describe even though it takes real effort to do well: we pull candidates’ voting and public records, question them directly about where they stand on land use, transit, water and air quality, and endorse the ones whose records show they will act on behalf of a healthier East Bay once they hold office.
An LCV East Bay endorsement is not a courtesy and it is not automatic. It is earned through that research and those conversations, and it carries our name. Every dollar we raise to support an endorsed candidate goes toward electing people who have already shown, in votes and in public record, that they will prioritize the environment when it counts, not simply when it is convenient.
Local offices decide questions that rarely make statewide headlines but shape daily life across the East Bay, from the water that comes out of the tap to the air quality in neighborhoods next to industrial corridors. Six issues framed our endorsement work in 2025 and 2026.
Protecting green space
The East Bay Regional Park District governs tens of thousands of acres of open space that residents rely on for recreation, habitat and relief from a warming climate. We endorsed EBRPD board members with records of expanding park access, restoring habitat and building wildfire resilient trail systems, because open space lost to development in the East Bay does not come back.
Opposing coal trains through our communities
Proposals to move coal through West Berkeley and other East Bay rail corridors would run a known carcinogen directly through residential neighborhoods that already carry a disproportionate share of the region’s industrial exposure. We endorsed candidates, including Laura Babitt in Berkeley District 1, who have stated plainly that they will oppose these shipments.
Illegal dumping and blight
In Oakland, illegal dumping has become a daily quality of life crisis as much as an environmental one. Since taking office in 2025, Mayor Barbara Lee has directed $9.2 million toward cleanup, expanded trash pickup to seven days a week, and worked with hundreds of volunteers to remove more than 7,000 tons of trash from Oakland’s streets. We endorsed her because blight at this scale requires sustained public investment, not a single cleanup event.
Environmental health
Communities near the Richmond Chevron refinery have carried the health burden of industrial pollution for generations, and environmental justice has to mean more than a slogan in those neighborhoods. We endorsed Richmond candidates including Claudia Jimenez, who has a record of holding the refinery accountable and pushing for cleaner air, and Doria Robinson, whose work leading Urban Tilth has tied environmental justice directly to food access and land use in Richmond.
Transit oriented development
Getting people out of cars and onto trains and buses only works if housing and jobs are built close enough to transit to make that choice realistic. At BART, board members including Robert Raburn have pushed station area development that helped raise the share of riders arriving car free to roughly 57 percent today. We endorsed candidates across AC Transit, BART and local city councils who treat transit oriented development as climate policy, not only land use policy.
Protecting East Bay watersheds
EBMUD supplies drinking water across much of the East Bay, and decisions made by its board shape both water affordability and the health of the watersheds that supply it. We endorsed EBMUD board members with records on watershed stewardship and climate resilient water supply planning, because water policy made without an environmental lens eventually becomes an environmental problem.
These six issues do not cover everything we care about, but they capture what separated a strong environmental record from a stated one this election cycle. We built this guide so voters would not have to do this research themselves, race by race and candidate by candidate. We have already done it, and we stand behind every name in these pages.
With gratitude for your vote and your attention to these races,
The LCV East Bay Board of Directors
- Aaron Clay, President
- Susan Stephenson, Vice President
- Robert Cheasty, Secretary
- Norman La Force
- Mike Daley
- Doug Linney
- Stuart Flashman
Why This Guide
LCV East Bay is the political arm of the environmental movement in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We research candidates’ records, interview them on environmental justice, sustainability and land conservation, and endorse the ones who will fight hardest for clean air, protected open space, and healthy, livable communities.
Local races decide what national headlines don’t: who sits on your water board, your regional park district, your transit agency, your city council. These offices set the rules on land use, transportation and toxic exposure that shape daily life in the East Bay.
In 2026, with climate impacts accelerating and major state housing and infrastructure decisions ahead, who holds these seats matters more than ever. This guide lists every candidate LCV East Bay has endorsed for the November 3, 2026 election, organized by county and office.
How to Use This Guide
Candidates are grouped by Alameda County, Contra Costa County, and the regional agencies that serve both, then by office. Each listing shows the candidate’s name, office, whether they are an incumbent, whether this is a returning endorsement from a prior cycle, and a link to their campaign website.
Within each listing, the candidate’s name links out to their campaign website. Visit it to review the candidate’s full record of accomplishments and environmental policy positions.
If a candidate’s record speaks to you, strongly consider making a donation to their campaign. Even a small contribution can make a big difference in a local race.
Only candidates LCV East Bay has formally endorsed are listed here. Check lcveastbay.org for the most current endorsements as Election Day approaches. Print the Table of Contents page and bring it with you to the polls.
Table of Contents
Jump directly to any candidate’s full listing.
Alameda County
Contra Costa County
Regional Agencies
Ballot Measures
Yes
Yes
Alameda County
Berkeley City Council
Laura Babitt
Open seat. Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani is not running; five candidates are on the ballot.
Author of the nation's first publicly funded Climate Literacy and Environmental Justice Resolution, passed while she served on the Berkeley Unified School District board.
Why we’re endorsing: She is running on deeply affordable housing along transit corridors, protecting green space and recreation access at the Berkeley Marina, and opposing coal trains through West Berkeley.
“For West Berkeley, a community with a history of environmental injustice, that means building deeply affordable housing along transit corridors, protecting access to the green space and recreation at our Berkeley Marina, and opposing coal trains through our neighborhoods.” — Laura Babitt
Daria Wrubel
Open seat. Five candidates are on the ballot.
Started as an educator and horticulturist in the Edible Schoolyard program at Thousand Oaks Elementary School, working in the garden with young people to teach nutrition and land stewardship. She later worked as a union organizer, helping pass Berkeley's citywide soda tax, before becoming a family and youth therapist.
Prioritizing climate-resilient housing growth and expanded tree canopy protection, she wants to build density near transit to cut emissions while preserving affordable units through Berkeley's Small Sites program.
Igor A. Tregub
Incumbent, seeking re-election.
Running for re-election. A longtime environmental advocate, he serves on the Ava Community Energy board and represents the East Bay on the California League of Cities' Environmental Quality Committee. He is the former chair of the Sierra Club's San Francisco Bay Chapter and now Sierra Club California's Co-Vice Chair, and works as Strategic Partnerships Director at Reimagine Power, a renewable-energy advocacy firm.
On the council, he lists embracing climate solutions toward a clean energy future among his priorities, paired with safer, better-connected streets for walking, biking, and transit across District 4.
Emeryville City Council
Brandon Soublet
Challenger in a race for two seats; voters choose two candidates.
A Cal State East Bay graduate who interned in Congress through the Panetta Institute and later earned a Master's in Public Policy from Georgetown University, Soublet spent years in the private sector auditing engineering and environmental reports for an architecture and engineering firm, translating dense technical proposals into plain language for the public.
He has carried that scrutiny directly into Emeryville politics as the most vocal public critic of the proposed Sutter Health medical campus, arguing the nonprofit project's tax-exempt status offers too little community benefit for the land it would use.
As a councilmember, he would hold new development in Emeryville's 1.2 square miles, already under pressure from sea level rise, to the same rigorous, data-driven standard, while continuing to invest in the city's bike lanes, traffic diverters, and the Emeryville Greenway to keep the city walkable and less car-dependent.
Oakland
Incumbent
Barbara Lee
Incumbent, seeking a full four-year term.
A returning LCV East Bay endorsement. Decades of leadership on environmental justice and public health, now applied to Oakland's land use, transit and climate resilience decisions as mayor.
Why we’re endorsing: Since taking office in 2025, Lee has made Oakland's illegal-dumping crisis a signature priority, expanding trash pickup to seven days a week and directing $9.2 million to clean up dumping sites.
“Every Oakland family deserves clean air, clean streets, and a healthy neighborhood. As Mayor, I've secured $9.2 million to tackle illegal dumping, and together with hundreds of volunteers, we've removed over 7,000 tons of trash from our streets. I will remain relentless in fighting pollution, expanding tree canopy and green spaces, and addressing the health impacts of environmental inequities in our communities.” — Barbara Lee
Contra Costa County
Concord
Laura Nakamura
Incumbent, seeking re-election.
Nakamura's path to Concord's City Council started on a bicycle. After commuting by bike pushed her to lobby the council for safer streets, she co-founded the Concord Communities Alliance in 2017, then won the District 5 seat in 2022 and now serves as Concord's 2026 mayor. Save Mount Diablo gave her its 2024 Mountain Star Award.
On the council, she has championed Concord's MCE community choice energy program and the city's push to plant 500 new trees, and continues to advocate for safer bike and e-bike infrastructure while helping steer negotiations over redeveloping the Concord Naval Weapons Station.
El Cerrito
Gabe Quinto
Incumbent, seeking re-election.
Twelve years on the El Cerrito City Council, now serving his third term as mayor. Helped bring El Cerrito into MCE, the East Bay's community choice energy program, and served on the Sierra Club's SF Bay Chapter board prioritizing climate and renewable energy.
As mayor, he has backed wildfire prevention and fuel management planning for El Cerrito's hillside natural area, and pushed to reduce transportation emissions and move the community away from fossil fuels.
Incumbent
Carolyn Wysinger
Incumbent, seeking re-election.
Sitting El Cerrito councilmember and the city's 2025 mayor, bringing experience on regional housing and open-space decisions.
Why we’re endorsing: Her record on the council and as mayor showed a willingness to prioritize open space and sustainable growth in a small city facing real development pressure.
“Environmental justice means ensuring that every neighborhood has access to clean air, safe parks, and healthy green spaces, regardless of income or geography. In El Cerrito, I care deeply about protecting our natural environment while addressing the unequal access to parks and recreational opportunities, particularly for families living in the flats.” — Carolyn Wysinger
Richmond
Claudia Jimenez
Sitting District 6 councilmember. Advanced to the November 3 runoff for mayor.
Has represented Richmond's District 6 since 2021, serving as vice mayor and winning re-election in 2024. Helped negotiate the city's $550 million settlement with Chevron and co-sponsored the Make Polluters Pay measure directing polluter funds toward cleanup.
Why we’re endorsing: She is running on a just transition away from a fossil-fuel economy: redeveloping polluted sites into parks and housing, building shoreline barriers against bay rise, and powering fire stations and schools with solar and backup batteries.
“Being dependent, especially on the fossil fuel industry, makes us so vulnerable. I am not saying we should close them right now. It has to be a transition where we plan.” — Claudia Jimenez
Doria Robinson
Incumbent. Won re-election outright in the June 2 primary, so this race is not on the November ballot.
Before joining the Richmond City Council in 2022, Robinson spent more than 18 years building Urban Tilth, growing it from a three-person volunteer effort into an organization employing more than 80 local residents. Under her leadership, Urban Tilth stewarded a 10-acre urban farm and delivered fresh food each week to hundreds of West Contra Costa families.
On the council, she is pushing to invest the city's $550 million Chevron settlement so its earnings fund fire stations, parks, and community hubs, and to finally address deferred maintenance on Richmond's streets and public buildings.
Cesar Zepeda
Incumbent. Ran unopposed in the June 2 primary, so this race is not on the November ballot.
Elected to the council in 2022 after serving as president of the West County Wastewater District, prioritizing public health and the environment through wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal.
Under his watch the district is replacing 15,000 feet of sewer line, and its treatment plant is on track to become one of California's first all-green, carbon-neutral, energy-generating facilities. On the council, he has pushed to expand park access and clean energy, including EV charging, and has opposed rail shipments of tar sands crude and coal through Richmond.
San Ramon
Marisol Rubio
Incumbent, seeking a second term.
Rubio is completing her first term as San Ramon's vice mayor and District 4 council member after serving as a director and vice president of the Dublin San Ramon Services District, where she chaired the DSRSD–EBMUD Recycled Water Authority and worked to protect regional water quality and supply.
On the council, she helped create San Ramon's Sustainability Advisory Committee and put the city's updated Climate Action Plan into practice, continuing that work through training in water infrastructure and hydrology with Water Education for Latino Leaders and in wildfire prevention and forest management through the California Civic Leadership Institute.
She is running on expanding walkable, bikeable connections to reduce traffic, supporting renewable and alternative energy, and protecting California's water resources.
Regional Agencies
These boards serve voters in both counties. Each listing names the county or counties its ward covers.
AC Transit Board
Harpreet S. Sandhu
Incumbent, appointed in October 2025 to fill the seat of the late Director Chris Peeples; the seat is on the ballot for the term ending in December 2028.
Richmond-based transit advocate focused on expanding reliable, zero-emission bus service to underserved communities. Ward 1 covers Albany, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Richmond, San Pablo, Kensington and surrounding communities.
A longtime Richmond resident and senior district representative for Congressman John Garamendi, he works on transportation and infrastructure funding with federal, state and local agencies.
BART Board of Directors
Incumbent
Robert Raburn
Incumbent, seeking re-election.
A returning LCV East Bay endorsement. Robert Raburn has spent his board tenure building transit-oriented development and prioritizing walking, biking and transit access over car trips at BART stations.
Why we’re endorsing: Since BART adopted its 2016 station-access policy under his watch, the share of riders arriving car-free has climbed to about 57% today. Raburn is running to keep pushing transit-oriented development that “future-proofs” BART against future demand and mode shifts.
“I am running for re-election because I am dedicated to delivering long-term sustainability for Bay Area transit operations. Access to BART stations without a car is an important policy goal that established a hierarchy in 2016 that prioritizes walking, bicycling and transit investments. By 2024 about 57% of all BART passengers arrived from their homes without a car. New transit-oriented-developments also help to 'future proof' transit demand and mode shifts.” — Robert Raburn
EBMUD Board (East Bay Municipal Utility District)
Luz Gómez
Incumbent. The only candidate to file; EBMUD's board appointed her, unopposed, to a new term through 2030, so this race is not on the November ballot.
Originally appointed in 2024, elected that November, and in January 2026 unanimously elected board president.
20+ years in public health and air-quality work, including leading lead-poisoning-prevention programs at Contra Costa Public Health and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District; chairs the Contra Costa County Sustainability Commission.
Under her board presidency, EBMUD completed its largest solar array, offsetting nearly 10% of the district's energy costs, and expanded safeguards against invasive golden mussels. The Mokelumne River's 2025 run brought over 10,500 Chinook back to the hatchery.
Marguerite Young
Incumbent, seeking re-election.
On the EBMUD board since 2015 representing Ward 3; as board president pushed the district to reach carbon neutrality for its operations by 2030, ten years ahead of its original target.
A former policy advocate for California LCV, Clean Water Action, and SEIU, she has championed water conservation, recycled water expansion, groundwater storage, and leak detection as droughts intensify.
Has pushed to protect the Mokelumne River watershed's flows for salmon and steelhead, and to manage EBMUD's 29,000 acres of local watershed, much of it in her ward, for wildfire resilience, recreation, and wildlife habitat.
Andy Katz
Incumbent. The only candidate to file; EBMUD's board appointed him, unopposed, to a new term through 2030, so this race is not on the November ballot.
First elected to the EBMUD board in 2006, including a term as board president, and earlier served on Berkeley's Zoning Adjustments Board before chairing the city's Community Health Commission.
On the EBMUD board, he has championed water conservation and recycled-water expansion, watershed protection, and the district's goal of zero water-system emissions by 2030, while barring water shutoffs for tenants.
Is pushing to expand electric-vehicle charging access throughout Berkeley, improve transit options, and build safer bike infrastructure as the city prepares for more severe droughts, wildfires, and storms.
Gary Wolff, P.E., Ph.D.
Challenger in a four-candidate race.
A renewable energy engineer and resource economist (Ph.D., UC Berkeley) who regulated Bay Area wastewater treatment plants and other industrial polluters for the SF Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, then founded his own solid-waste and recycling engineering firm for local governments.
Confirmed by the California Senate to the State Water Resources Control Board in 2006, where as vice chair he helped shape water quality regulations and water rights for 36 million Californians. He also wrote Beyond Privatization: Restructuring Water Systems to Improve Performance.
On the EBMUD board, he is running to safeguard water quality, promote conservation and recycling, and protect EBMUD's watershed lands as wildlife habitat open to the public.
EBRPD Board (East Bay Regional Park District)
William Yragui
Open seat. The incumbent is retiring; three candidates are on the ballot.
Running for the open Ward 3 seat, covering Castro Valley, Hayward, Union City, and part of Fremont, in a three-way race to succeed retiring incumbent Dennis Waespi. He co-founded Mission Peak Conservancy, which has pushed to preserve trail access and parkland, including advocacy to stop the closure of Morrison Canyon Road.
He is running on protecting habitat and watersheds, equitable park access, wildfire readiness and climate-resilient landscapes, and more transparent board decisions.
Olivia Sanwong
Incumbent, seeking a second term.
Before her 2022 election to the EBRPD board, Sanwong served seven years on the district's own Park Advisory Committee and four years on the Zone 7 Water Agency board, including terms as both its president and vice president. She now serves as EBRPD's 2026 board president.
A mathematics graduate of UCLA with an MBA and more than 20 years in science and technology, she brings that hands-on governing record to protecting open space and park access across Ward 5 and the wider East Bay regional park system.
John Mercurio
Incumbent, seeking a second term.
Before his 2022 election to the EBRPD board representing Ward 6, Mercurio spent 17 years on the district's own Park Advisory Committee, 11 years as a Concord planning commissioner, and 12 years on the California Recreational Trails Committee under a gubernatorial appointment. He retired after 17 years as a Contra Costa County management analyst.
He has volunteered more than 35 years to preserve open space and expand trail access across the East Bay, and supports Save Mount Diablo and the Regional Parks Foundation.
Colin Coffey
Incumbent, seeking re-election.
Coffey has served on the EBRPD board since his 2017 appointment, winning election in 2018 and re-election in 2022; he now serves as the board's vice president. He served two stints on the district's own Park Advisory Committee and has volunteered as a park Ambassador for 19 years.
A retired public-health attorney and past president of the Contra Costa Bar Association, he represents Ward 7's parklands stretching from Antioch and Oakley to Brentwood and Pittsburg, and supports the John Muir Land Trust and the Regional Parks Foundation.
Ballot Measures
Our recommendations on the measures appearing on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
LCV East Bay: Yes
Measure EE: Oakland Charter Amendment Measure
Measure EE changes Oakland's charter so the mayor becomes the city's chief executive, with veto power over legislation and parts of the budget. The council keeps checks of its own: it can override a veto with six votes, councilmembers become full-time with a new process for setting their salaries, and the council gets its own independent budget and legislative analyst. Clear lines of responsibility mean voters know who to hold accountable for delivering on climate, parks, and clean-air commitments.
Accountability and clearer governance, balanced by council oversight and independent budget analysis.
LCV East Bay: Yes
Measure RTM: Regional Transit Measure (Connect Bay Area)
Regional public transportation needs stable funding, and this 14-year sales tax would raise about $980 million a year. The money would prevent major service cuts to BART, AC Transit, Muni, Caltrain, and other systems. Reliable transit means fewer cars on the road, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and cleaner air for East Bay communities.
Sustained regional transit funding that preserves service, plus support for safety, reliability and road repair, with financial oversight.
Tax rate: 0.5% in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties; 1% in San Francisco.
Vote Environment
Ballots were mailed in mid-October. Return yours by mail (postmarked on or before Election Day), at an official drop box, or at a vote center by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. Not registered? You can still register and vote at a county vote center.
Find your drop-off location and check your registration with your county elections office: Alameda County Registrar of Voters or Contra Costa County Elections.
Questions about an endorsement, or want to get involved with LCV East Bay before the election? Visit lcveastbay.org.
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