Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin announced Wednesday he will be giving up his seat as mayor to run for a seat in the California State Senate.
The announcement comes more than a year before the March 2024 primary. If he wins, Arreguin will succeed state Sen. Nancy Skinner, who is terming out.
Arreguin is Berkeley’s first Hispanic mayor and has held the seat since 2016. He served as a city councilmember beginning in 2008. He is also currently the president of the Association of Bay Area Governments, a regional governing body representing the Bay Area’s 101 cities and nine counties.
“I know what we need to do,” Arreguin said by