After knowing and working with Mark Humbert over the past 17 years, it is our pleasure to recommend him to our fellow District 8 neighbors.
Mark brings people together. When a disabled neighbor was tragically struck and killed by a driver in 1999, Mark immediately got to work to make our roads safer, even though he was new to the neighborhood at the time. After getting flashing beacons installed at Ashby and Piedmont, he didn’t let up – he joined the city’s Transportation and Public Works commissions to continue advocating for safe streets. He recently helped develop the city’s Bicycle Master Plan and Equitable Paving Policy.
Mark earned the support of his fellow neighbors when he was elected president of our local Claremont Elmwood Neighborhood Association. For over a decade, Mark helped represent our neighborhood interests and concerns to the city council, UC Berkeley and our local merchants’ association. As a professional mediator, Mark was able to find win-win solutions and resolve conflicts in the best interests of the community.
Mark raised his family in the district and sent his kids to Berkeley public schools. He has deep roots in the community, is well-versed in the issues important to the neighborhood, and has the skills to overcome differences and reach consensus. We were not surprised when he told us he had earned the endorsement of 8 of 9 members of the Berkeley City Council, including Mayor Jesse Arreguín, our current Councilmember Lori Droste, former Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, and representatives from North, West, and South Berkeley. He’s also been endorsed by the Alameda County Democratic Party, the Sierra Club, Berkeley Firefighters, the East Bay Stonewall LGBTQIA+ Democratic Club, Berkeley Democratic Club, Cal Dems, and dozens of other District 8 neighbors like ourselves.
We think Mark will do an excellent job tackling the tough issues of affordable housing, public safety, climate change, and protecting our local businesses. Mark supports smart policies like a housing-first approach to homelessness, community-oriented policing, managing wildfire risk by trimming dangerous eucalyptus, and more. His 20-plus years of rolling up his sleeves and doing the work already speak volumes.
Mark is a kind, warm-hearted man with an open door and tasty homegrown garlic. It’s not every day you find someone who fundamentally wants to do so much for his neighbors and our community. We are lucky to have him as our neighbor, and the district would be lucky to have him as our city council member.
To learn more about Mark, we encourage you to visit his campaign website at www.HumbertForCouncil.com. Mark has always made himself available to speak with the community, and he can be reached at mark@humbertforcouncil.com or 510-516-1404. We hope you’ll join us in supporting Mark for District 8 City Council, so we can ensure District 8 continues to enjoy pragmatic, excellent and responsive leadership for four more years.
Zoe and Bill Williams are District 8 residents. Zoe is a librarian at John Muir Elementary and worked at Emerson Elementary School. They live in The Elmwood with their two children.
The deadline to register to vote online or by mail in Alameda County is Oct. 24, and the election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. We put together a guide to the essentials of how to register and vote, what’s on the ballot, voters’ rights and more.
Here are some other helpful election resources:
- The city of Berkeley’s election portal and candidate statements
- Don’t know your Berkeley City Council district? The city website has a handy tool for that.
- Voter’s Edge: View a personalized ballot by entering your address.
- Voter guides from the Daily Cal, CalMatters, KQED, the Bay Area News Group and The League of Women Voters Berkeley Albany and Emeryville
- Check your voter registration status (and sign up to get election materials online).
- Find your voter profile (Alameda County registrar of voters).
See complete 2022 election coverage on Berkeleyside.
