36th annual Berkeley Mardi Gras 🐸
Rain. Brass. Neon green frog overhead.
I joined the Telegraph contingent and walked with friends through the wet streets, laughing the whole way.
Humans need celebration. Joy is communal.
Taking the streets isn’t just spectacle. It’s a reminder that public space belongs to the people in it.
Public joy. Public life.
Grateful to be in community.
I visited a NO ICE action and honestly, what stayed with me most was the joy.
People showed up with music, lights, laughter, and care for one another. In a moment where fear has been heavy, this felt like resilience in real time.
I keep thinking about kids being able to go to school and know their parents are waiting for them at home. Families deserve stability. Detention isn’t freedom. Community is how we look out for each other.
Grateful to Indivisible East Bay and everyone in the resistance for turning grief into connection and reminding us we don’t have to face any of this alone.
Spring Forward 🌱
Clearing space, turning soil, starting again.
Gardens don’t fix themselves and neither do communities.
Every season asks the same question, are you willing to show up and tend what you care about.
Today it’s pulling weeds, cutting back overgrowth, making room for what’s next.
Small actions, repeated, become transformation.
This is what renewal looks like in real time.
One of the most energizing parts of this new year has been sitting with neighbors who are ready for real change.
In every conversation, the same concerns come up. Housing. Public space. Stability. These are not abstract policy debates. These are daily realities in Southside and across Berkeley.
People sometimes assume that because I fight for places like People’s Park, I must be anti-housing or anti-UC Berkeley. The truth is the opposite. I want all three to succeed together. I want a city where new housing does not displace longtime residents, where below-market-rate homes are the norm, and where renovation does not automatically mean rent hikes.
That is not radical. It is common sense rooted in community.
At this gathering, neighbors shared ideas about housing, infrastructure, and employment. I moved from group to group listening and talking through what protection looks like in real life. Housing should come with buffers, not threats. Missed rent should not mean immediate eviction. Stability should not be treated like a privilege.
My work in healthcare and mutual aid comes from the same place as my decision to run for office. I am not running to be a public figure. I am running to be a public servant.
I’m running for Berkeley City Council to help build a city where people can live, heal, and stay.
Saturday with Food Not Bombs near People’s Park at Haste and Telegraph.
Grateful for this crew and for how much this community keeps growing.
Hunger doesn’t wait. Neither do we.
Had a great time at the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz. Gravity took the day off and so did logic. Bigfoot’s definitely real, by the way. May peace prevail on Earth (and in whatever dimension that place exists in).
#MysterySpot #SantaCruz #BigfootIsReal #BayAreaAdventures #OpticalIllusion #WeirdCalifornia
✨Nothing beats a holiday in Berkeley CA 2025✨
…where UC bulldozes a 56-year-old historic People’s Park—once full of concerts, art, shade, and biodiversity—and replaces it with razor wire + shipping containers 🚫🌳🛢️.
…Where City Council cries about nightlife—after bulldozing half of downtown 🌃🚧.
…Where 2 years of advocacy for a resolution condemning genocide in Gaza resulted in nothing but thoughts and prayers—and they didn’t even edit the legislation to remove past presidents until the last minute ✍️💔.
…Where Telegraph’s legendary food + art scene—murals, record shops, street vendors, and cuisines from every corner of the world—got bulldozed into a bland strip of boba shops and fried chicken chains, with empty high-rises looming over it all 🥤🍗🏙️.
…Where leaders obsess over bus lanes while minimum-wage workers can’t even afford the bus 🚌💸.
…Where “wildfire prevention” means destroying biodiversity in people’s yards 🌱💔.
…And where ferries pollute the bay, leaving beached whales onshore while tsunami warnings roll in 🌊🐋.
Meanwhile, Trump targets Berkeley for being a “sanctuary city,” but this city already evicted half its poor on its own 💀.
When I ran for City Council in 2018, my biggest mistake was thinking people actually wanted progress. I came in fighting for tiny homes to end homelessness, reimagining neighborhoods with the best technology, even dreaming of hoverboards on Telegraph and real rent relief. Nearly a decade later? They voted for trash—and it’s actually worse.
But the joke’s on them. I’m still here, still doing the work they only pretended to do—without the power.
I was a young, intersectional, local activist fighting to protect my People’s Park—our green space, our culture, our sanctuary. That’s what they really stopped. Not just trees and concerts, but a future rooted in community, care, and resilience. And I still can’t believe they thought it was worth it.
All we wanted was a space to breathe, play music, and gather.
At this point, the AI aliens can take over — because honestly, nothing could be worse than what we’ve already got 🤖👽.
Last weekend, this corner was alive with music, Mezzo’s delicious food, free meals from Food Not Bombs, and the powerful People’s Park mural reminding us of Berkeley’s history and resilience.
Telegraph Second Sundays brought people together once again to celebrate community, art, and the spirit that makes Berkeley so unique.
If you missed it, don’t worry — there’s more to come! Mark your calendar for the next Second Sunday and come be part of the energy, support local vendors, and connect with neighbors.
#TelegraphSecondSundays #BerkeleyCA #BerkeleyLife #CommunityVibes #LocalLove #PeoplesPark #FoodNotBombs #BayAreaEvents #SupportLocal
May the 4th Be With You, Berkeley
Space has captured our imagination for generations. Anyone who’s ever laid in the grass and looked up knows the questions it stirs: Why does the sky shift? How are we spinning on this axis? What else lies beyond the stars?
But here in Berkeley, we don’t just look to the stars — we organize under them.
From People’s Park to Telegraph, our corners are hubs of resistance, where we gather to protect what matters. In a galaxy where greed and displacement echo like a Death Star hum, we use the Force of love, community, and resilience to build a better future.
The rebellion is local. The resistance is rooted.
And we’ve got more than hope — we’ve got each other.
#MayThe4thBeWithYou #BerkeleyStrong #PeoplesPark #CommunityPower #UseTheForce #ResistanceIsBeautiful #StarWarsDay #EastBayLove #AidanForBerkeley #VoteAidan2026 #ChessClub #PeoplesPark #FoodNotBombs
People’s Park lives because we do! ✊💚 Marching with Berkeley High students, I felt strong, powerful, and deeply connected to this fight. As I step into my 30s, I feel the weight of responsibility—building a life, a family, a future—but People’s Park is fundamental to all of it. Access to healthcare, food, green space, and community is not just a cause; it’s my life’s work. Seeing young people take up the mantle reminds me why we fight. We liberated the People’s Park Gardens, and the joy it’s brought these past weeks is immeasurable. If you have a heart to save the park, now’s the time to stand with us. #SavePeoplesPark #StopTheSweeps #WhereDoWeGo
