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Dan Kalb
Dan Kalb was a member of the Oakland City Council in California, representing District 1. He assumed office in 2013. He left office on January 6, 2025.
Kalb (Democratic Party) ran for election to the California State Senate to represent District 7. He lost in the primary on March 5, 2024.
Kalb completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kalb earned a B.S. in conservation of natural resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.P.A. in public administration and nonprofit management from the University of San Francisco.[1]
From 2003 to 2012, he was the California policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit organization that advocates science-informed policy solutions. His professional experience also includes work as a chapter director for the environmental nonprofit Sierra Club and as a staff member at California Common Cause, the state office of a national nonprofit that advocates citizen empowerment and government accountability.[1]
Kalb has represented Oakland on StopWaste, an Alameda County waste reduction agency, and the League of California Cities, an association of municipal officials that advocates for California cities at the state and federal levels. He was also a member of the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club's board of directors. He previously served as president of the League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay, vice president of the Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club, and a member of the board of directors of the East Bay Jewish Community Relations Council.[1][2]
The East Bay Express named Kalb the East Bay's Best Good-Government Politician in 2014. In 2015, he was named Outstanding Local Elected Official by the California Public Library Advocates.[3][4][5]
Kalb and his wife, Valarie, got married in 2005.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: California State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for California State Senate District 7
Jesse Arreguín defeated Jovanka Beckles in the general election for California State Senate District 7 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jesse Arreguín (D) | 57.2 | 199,423 |
 | Jovanka Beckles (D) | 42.8 | 149,415 | |
| Total votes: 348,838 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Senate District 7
The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Senate District 7 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jesse Arreguín (D) | 32.1 | 61,892 |
| ✔ | | Jovanka Beckles (D) | 17.7 | 34,085 |
 | Dan Kalb (D) | 15.0 | 28,881 | |
 | Kathryn Lybarger (D) | 14.6 | 28,070 | |
 | Sandré Swanson (D) | 11.9 | 22,907 | |
 | Jeanne Solnordal (R) | 8.7 | 16,855 | |
| Total votes: 192,690 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
To view Kalb's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Kalb in this election.
2020
See also: City elections in Oakland, California (2020)
General election
General election for Oakland City Council District 1
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Dan Kalb in round 1 .
|
Total votes: 36,413 |
|||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for California State Assembly District 15
Buffy Wicks defeated Jovanka Beckles in the general election for California State Assembly District 15 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Buffy Wicks (D) | 53.6 | 104,583 |
| Jovanka Beckles (D) | 46.4 | 90,405 | |
| Total votes: 194,988 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for California State Assembly District 15
The following candidates ran in the primary for California State Assembly District 15 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Buffy Wicks (D) | 31.4 | 37,141 |
| ✔ | | Jovanka Beckles (D) | 15.8 | 18,733 |
| Dan Kalb (D) | 15.2 | 18,007 | |
 | Judith Appel (D) | 11.5 | 13,591 | |
| Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto (D) | 8.3 | 9,826 | ||
| Pranav Jandhyala (R) | 5.9 | 6,946 | ||
| Andy Katz (D) | 5.2 | 6,209 | ||
| Ben Bartlett (D) | 3.3 | 3,949 | ||
 | Cheryl Sudduth (D) | 1.3 | 1,493 | |
| Raquella Thaman (D) | 0.9 | 1,007 | ||
| Owen Poindexter (D) | 0.7 | 819 | ||
| Sergey Vikramsingh Piterman (D) | 0.6 | 689 | ||
| Total votes: 118,410 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
The city of Oakland, California, held elections for city council in 2016. Five of the eight city council seats were up for election. Incumbent Dan Kalb defeated Kevin Corbett in the general election for the District 1 seat on the Oakland City Council.[6]
| Oakland City Council District 1, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Dan Kalb Incumbent |
80.70% | 24,955 |
| Kevin Corbett | 18.86% | 5,832 |
| Write-in votes | 0.44% | 137 |
| Total Votes | 30,924 | |
| Source: Alameda County Registrar of Voters, "Certified Election Results," accessed December 1, 2016 | ||
Endorsements
Kalb received endorsements from the following in 2016:
- Alameda County Building & Construction Trades Council[7]
- Alameda County Democratic Central Committee[8]
- Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County[9]
- California Nurses Association[10]
- League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay[11]
- National Union of Healthcare Workers[7]
- Sierra Club, San Francisco Bay Chapter[12]
- Transport Oakland[7]
- Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club[13]
- Yes on Prop 63[14]
- California Assemb. Rob Bonta[7]
- California Assemb. Tony Thurmond[7]
- California Sen. Loni Hancock[7]
- Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf[7]
- Former Oakland Mayor Jean Quan[7]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Dan Kalb completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kalb's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I've worked as a policy director; environmental, public interest, and social justice advocate; practical progressive reformer and faithful community service volunteer. In my more than eleven years on the City Council, I've proven what can be accomplished as a proactive and effective elected leader.
I'm a three-term City Councilmember who has led legislative and budget efforts to address the real challenges we face head-on. I authored laws to stop ghost guns, increase criminal investigative capacity, create an independent police oversight commission, raise tens of millions for affordable housing, protect tenants from displacement, ban coal in Oakland, strengthen the Public Ethics Commission, create a progressive real estate transfer tax, require seismic retrofits of apartment buildings, expand library services/hours, create a partnership to keep kids in school, and so much more.
I have over 30 years of policy experience, including 10 years experience crafting state legislation and successfully engaging in the entire legislative process in Sacramento. I worked for the Union of Concerned Scientists for several years as their statewide policy director.- Experience that Makes a Difference! I have more than 30 years of policy-related experience--including 10 years commuting to Sacramento, writing legislation, building coalitions and successfully engaging in the entire legislative process
- I am a longtime environmental leader in the East Bay and statewide spending most of my professional career developing policy and leading advocacy campaigns to promote clean energy, implement effective climate solutions, reduce air and water pollution, fight for environmental health and justice solutions, defend the rights of animals, promote biodiversity, facilitate recycling, and protect our parks, wetland, waterways and open spaces. I've worked on state issues with the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Sierra Club. If you want to elect someone who comes from and has deep expertise and professional background in the environmental, climate justice and clean energy community, I am that leader.
- I have a strong policy background and I also know we need serious campaign finance reform. I have been and will be a determined leader to enact clean money elections and clamps down on special interest dollars going to state campaigns.
Affordable Housing
It's not about me -- it's about helping those in need now and in the long-term.
https://www.dankalb.net/books
Cal Berkeley Democrats
California Environmental Voters
Climate Action California Elections
California Legislative Jewish Caucus
Health Care for All - California
Block By Block Organizing Network
East Bay Animal PAC
Int'l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 595
Oakland Firefighters Int'l Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 55
18 current and former State Legislators (including two who are in Congress)
60+ East Bay elected officials
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2020
Dan Kalb did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Kalb's 2016 campaign website highlighted the following issues:[15]
| “ |
Environmental Stewardship and Growing the Clean Tech Economy As a former Chapter Director of the Sierra Club, Dan developed grassroots campaign to promote clean energy solutions, fight for environmental justice, and protect parks and open spaces. Dan will take a lead role in making Oakland a nationally-recognized regional hub for the clean tech sector. By making growing Oakland’s clean tech economy a top priority at City Hall, we can bring more good, green jobs for Oakland residents while protecting our environment for generations to come. Dan will also be a leader in implementing our city's landmark Energy and Climate Action Plan, and will work to protect and enhance our urban parks and open spaces. For more information on my Clean Tech Plan, please click here. Restoring Trust in City Hall As a Field Director at California Common Cause, Dan successfully advocated for open government and strong campaign reform laws. Dan is committed to making our local government more transparent, responsive and trustworthy. Dan has developed a multi-point plan that includes strengthening our Public Ethics Commission, improving customer service at key city departments, establishing a required 'Rainy Day' fund as part of our biannual budgeting process, improving transparency at City Hall, and promoting a stronger ethic of respect and professionalism at the City Council. Dan is a long-time believer and participant in community service. He believes that government should set an example by engaging the nonprofit sector in serving the community. Read more about how I'm restoring trust in city government. Safer Neighborhoods and Protecting the Public Dan is making crime prevention and safe neighborhoods a topmost priority. Understanding that we need more police on the streets, Dan is committed to bringing our police force back up to over 800 sworn officers, followed by an independent evaluation to determine our ultimate police staffing needs. He also wants to hire more crime investigators because solving a crime helps to prevent a crime. The cornerstone of Dan’s multi-faceted plan to create a safer city is to make smart investments in effective programs that reduce recidivism. Most serious crimes are committed by previous offenders. We must work with the County and establish requirements that ensure every offender coming back to Oakland earns, at a minimum, a high school diploma. And we need to invest in job training and apprenticeship programs that will help put ex-offenders on a pathway to a job. After all, a good education and a decent job are the best deterrents to crime. Dan also will work to ensure that every neighborhood is served well by OPD. Find out more about how I'm making our neighborhoods safer. Setting the Table for Our Youth The City Council must be a better and more engaged partner with our public schools. Dan has made a commitment to our District One school board member that he will sit down with her each month to discuss the state of our youth and to ask her what more can City Hall do to help her, the school district, and our teachers do their job better to help our youth in school and stay in school. Dan served on the Youth Leadership and Community Safety Strategic Planning Task Force for the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth. We must improve conflict resolution in the schools, be serious in working together to address chronic absenteeism and grade-level literacy, and help our public schools be more successful in providing our youth a safe and nurturing environment in which to live, learn and flourish. [16] |
” |
2012
In information he provided to the League of Women Voters of California during the 2012 election, Kalb highlighted the following issues:[17]
| “ |
Creating Jobs and Protecting Our Environment Dan led the coalition that passed a landmark law requiring at least one-third of California's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020, and he's fought to make Oakland a leader in reducing pollution. At City Hall, he'll work to grow the clean technology economy and create good jobs that put Oaklanders back to work while protecting our environment. That's why the Sierra Club and the Alameda County Labor Council strongly endorse Dan Kalb. Smart Investments in Public Safety Dan understands that while it's essential to hire more police officers and crime investigators, that's only part of the solution. We need a more comprehensive approach--one that involves investing in job training and re-entry programs to keep parolees from returning to jail, and support for increased access to a quality education and after-school programs. Restoring Trust in City Hall Oaklanders have lost faith in City Hall's ability to solve problems. As a staffer for Common Cause, Dan successfully advocated for open government and strong campaign finance reform. And with 10 years of volunteer community mediation experience, Dan knows how to bring opposing sides together to solve problems. Dan is committed to making City Hall more accountable, responsive, and trustworthy. [16] |
” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate California State Senate District 7 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dan Kalb - Oakland City Council, "About Dan Kalb," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Dan Kalb," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Dan KALB, Oakland City Councilmember," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ East Bay Express, "Best of the East Bay 2014," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ The Post News Group, "Dan Kalb Receives Award for Outstanding Service to Public Libraries," November 30, 2015
- ↑ Alameda County Registrar of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed September 22, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County, "2016 Endorsement Questionnaire," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ San Leandro Talk, "List of Local Candidates to Receive Democratic Endorsement in Alameda County," September 10, 2016
- ↑ Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County, "November 2016 General Election Endorsement Meeting Results," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ California Nurses Association, "California Candidates and Measures - 2016," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay, "Current Endorsements," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ Sierra Club, "November 2016 Endorsements," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, "Current Endorsements," September 15, 2016
- ↑ Yes on Prop 63, "Endorsements," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ Dan Kalb - Oakland City Council, "Issues," accessed September 20, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ League of Women Voters of California, "Political Philosophy for Dan Kalb," accessed September 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Oakland City Council District 1 2013-2025 |
Succeeded by Zac Unger |
