After eight years as the mayor of Berkeley, Jesse Arreguín has seen the city through some notable ups and downs. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the housing crisis, the mayor described his term in office as difficult but transformative.
As his term nears its end, Arreguín aims to focus on winding down and wrapping up major infrastructure projects with the City Council this November. Next month, Arreguín noted the city will work on approving an agreement with BART to move forward with housing construction at the Ashby station, a development in the making since 1964. He also hopes to push a regional partnership proposal to build a new hospital in Berkeley, noting that Berkeley will be without a full-service hospital if Alta Bates closes within the next six years.
In his tenure as mayor, Arreguín said, from crisis to crisis he always tried to push progressive policies such as affordable housing, reduced homelessness and redefined public safety. The Daily Californian sat down with Arreguín to discuss his priorities throughout his tenure, the greatest challenges of his past eight years and his vision for the future of Berkeley…