The Berkeley Tenants Union Steering Committee is made up of five at-large members elected citywide alongside steering committee members appointed by building-wide Berkeley Tenant Union locals.
Chair, At-Large Steering Committee Member
Avery Arbaugh is a tenant, organizer with the Berkeley Tenants Union, and head of the Berkeley Tenant Organizing Task Force. Since the Berkeley Tenant Organizing Task Force formed in January of 2025, she has assisted with the formation of 10 building-wide tenant associations across Berkeley, and participated with tenants in bargaining for building-wide rent reductions and better living conditions. She also works as a field organizer at the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, organizing communities in defense of tenant, worker, and immigrant rights.
Treasurer, At-Large Steering Committee Member
Elizabeth is a Nisei senior citizen with a disability, a Cal alumna, and a Teamster. She has been an accountant at UC Berkeley for 26 years. Prior to that, she worked at Acme Bread for 10 years.
At-Large Steering Committee Member
Alfred Twu is a tenant near campus and works as an architect and artist, and works to use their understanding of building and planning code to improve housing and tenant policy, and art and design to support organizing and helping new tenants know their rights. They are also active in state and local politics, working on issues such as habitability, affordable housing funding, rent control, language access, and finding ways to protect existing tenants as new housing is built. In addition to housing and tenant activism, Alfred also works on transit and transportation issues.
At-Large Steering Committee Member
Bryce is a renter in Berkeley and a fourth-year student at Cal studying urban planning and environmental economics. They got their start with tenants rights canvassing for Measure BB and subsequently joining the Berkeley Tenant Organizing Task Force to unionize tenant buildings.
At-Large Steering Committee Member
Catherine has been living in unceded Ohlone lands for the past +15 years and renting in Berkeley for the past 8 years. She is a mixed race daughter of immigrants and works at a class action law firm. She loves seeing people stand up for their rights, when trusting the feeling inside you that something isn't right leads you to connect with others and change reality. She looks forward to the Berkeley community wielding Measure BB to continue to grow in power and rootedness!