William “Three Hundred” Caldeira

In the race for Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Board, the Community Power Slate — which includes James Chang, Paola Laverde, John Selawsky, María Poblet and Soli Alpert — won the available seats as of press time at 2 a.m.

Berkeley is in the midst of a dire housing crisis, and now more than ever, the city’s Rent Stabilization Board has an incredibly important role to play in regulating rents and protecting tenants’ rights. This November, Berkeley voters have the opportunity to elect five new commissioners to the board. Berkeley needs commissioners who are going to fight for tenants’ rights. And those candidates are Alpert, Chang, Laverde, Poblet and Selawsky.

Five of the candidates — James Chang, Judy Hunt, Paola Laverde, María Poblet and John Selawsky – have prior experience as rent board commissioners. Only three — Soli Alpert, David Buchanan and William “Three Hundred” Caldeira — have not previously served on the board.

Candidates running for the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board in the upcoming November elections gathered at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters to answer prewritten and audience questions about affordable housing and landlord-tenant relations Wednesday evening.

William “Three Hundred” Caldeira — a native of Berkeley and a regular at City Council meetings — filed for candidacy last month after former candidate and UC Berkeley student Brianna Rogers dropped out of the race to focus on her studies. Additionally, the Alameda County Democratic Party, the Sierra Club and the Alameda County Labor Council announced their endorsements of candidate Kate Harrison this winter.