On Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced Adena Ishii as the mayor elect for the City of Berkeley. Ishii will serve as mayor for four years and has the opportunity to be reelected in the next mayoral race in 2028. During her time as mayor, Ishii will lead City Council meetings and vote on all issues discussed, represent Berkeley in ceremonial matters, and influence priorities for the city to focus on over the next four years.
Ishii is the first woman of color and Asian American to be elected mayor of Berkeley. During her swearing in ceremony on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, Ishii spoke on stereotypes against Asian women and how she hopes to challenge them as mayor.
“For too long, Asian women have been seen as meek and subservient, certainly not leadership material,” Ishii said as she was sworn in, “Taking this oath is one step closer towards breaking that stereotype and showing young women and girls that they, too, can be leaders.”
Ishii has always been driven towards changing her community for the better, and this was no exception.
“This was a great opportunity to make a change in a lot of the issues that I really care about and to represent our community in a way that hasn’t been done before,” Ishii said. “I’m excited to continue serving my community.” Ishii previously served on the Berkeley Unified School District Reparations Task Force, held a seat on the City’s Sugar Sweetened Beverage Commision, and served as the youngest president ever of the Bay Area League of Women Voters.
Ishii wants to focus on building a relationship between City Council Members and aligning the city’s goals and priorities.
“I want to rebuild trust between the City Council and the community. Key issues I’m prioritizing include housing and homelessness, public safety, and infrastructure,” Ishii said.
“I want Berkeley to continue being a pro-housing city, provide safe and accessible shelters for those experiencing homelessness, and expand mental health care support,” Ishii said, “For public safety, I want to invest in social services, mental health care, youth programming, and ensuring our police and fire departments have the tools they need.”
Ishii also emphasized the need to build new infrastructure for streets and sidewalks in Berkeley. Throughout her campaign, Ishii showed her dedication to implementing this infrastructure, such as being a strong proponent of Measure FF, which provides safety improvements when paving streets, and meeting with local housing and safe street advocates.
Ishii’s success with her campaign came as a surprise to many due to the fact that she had held no prior position on Berkeley City Council or in any public office, unlike any of the other candidates or many former mayors of Berkeley.
Ishii also hopes to foster greater connection between Berkeley’s government and BUSD during her term.
“One concern I heard during the campaign was a lack of direct communication between the city and BUSD. I want to create more opportunities for dialogue and engagement, but I also want to hear from students, teachers, and administrators about what they need from us,” Ishii said. She explained how she plans to do this: reaching out to existing community groups, attending events, visiting classrooms, and ensuring that her office is approachable and accessible for students.
Ishii strongly encourages youth to get involved with local politics, as a reflection of her own early start in politics.
“Students can join city commissions, get involved in campaigns, attend meetings, and follow local issues,” Ishii said, “Politics is more accessible than people think, and there are many ways to connect your interests — whether it’s sports or public spaces — to civic engagement.”
She also would like to start an internship program for high school students to give opportunities for youth to get a feel for what leadership and service roles for the city like being the mayor entail.
As for her message to students at Berkeley High School, Ishii said, “I want them to know their vote matters. As someone who felt disenfranchised as a young person, I learned how much of an impact one person can have. Our campaign is proof of that — grassroots efforts and community support made it happen.”