What To Do Next? (after the “Creating Utopia’ workshop)
Organize, Organize, Organize
After you determine what cause(s) you are most interested in, you can assemble a group of like-minded people to work for the common cause. You can recruit via friendships and word-of-mouth, and social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, NextDoor, craigslist, sfchalkboard, etc)
When a group is assembled you can take your cause “to the streets” in a public action, and distribute flyers advertising your concerns and/or desires, or you can take your cause to local, county, state, and federal representatives. Two lists of local politicians are displayed below.
Oakland City Council
City email is generally districtN@oaklandca.gov, but several members have personal email addresses.
At-Large Rowena Brown atlarge@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7008
District 1 Zac Unger zunger@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7001
District 2 Charlene Wang district2@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7002
District 3 Carroll Fife district3@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7003
District 4 Janani Ramachandran district4@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7004
District 5 Noel Gallo ngallo@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7005
District 6 Kevin Jenkins (Council President) district6@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7006
District 7 Ken Houston district7@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7007
Note: Oakland's council is up for partial re-election in November 2026.
Public meetings: Oakland City Council meetings are the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 3:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at Oakland City Hall (1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza). Committee meetings are generally on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays. It is best to check the live calendar at oakland.legistar.com/calendar.aspx before you go. City of Oakland
Berkeley City Council
The email address council@berkeleyca.gov includes Mayor, every council member, and City Clerk. Individual addresses: City of Berkeley
Mayor Adena Ishii mayor@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7100
District 1 Rashi Kesarwani rkesarwani@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7110
District 2 Terry Taplin ttaplin@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7120
District 3 Ben Bartlett bbartlett@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7130
District 4 Igor Tregub itregub@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7140
District 5 Shoshana O'Keefe sokeefe@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7150
District 6 Brent Blackaby bblackaby@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7160
District 7 Cecilia Lunaparra clunaparra@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7170
District 8 Mark Humbert mhumbert@berkeleyca.gov (510) 981-7180
Note: Berkeley Districts 1, 4, 7, and 8 are on the November 2026 ballot, so those seats may change after the election.
Public meetings: Berkeley's City Council generally meets on two Tuesdays a month at 6:00 p.m., at the School District Board Room, 1231 Addison St., Berkeley (with a teleconference option). Exact dates change around holidays and recess periods — live schedule is at berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas.