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Zac Unger
2025 - Present
2029
0
Zac Unger is a member of the Oakland City Council in California, representing District 1. He assumed office on January 6, 2025. His current term ends on January 8, 2029.
Unger ran for election to the Oakland City Council to represent District 1 in California. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Unger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Zac Unger was born in Soquel, California. He earned an associate degree from Deep Springs College in 1993, a bachelor's degree from Brown University in 1996, and a graduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 2000. His career experience includes working as a firefighter, paramedic, and science writer.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Oakland, California (2024)
General election
General election for Oakland City Council District 1
The ranked-choice voting election was won by Zac Unger in round 2 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
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Total votes: 29,932 |
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Unger's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Unger in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Zac Unger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Unger's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am not under any illusions that fixing Oakland will be easy or quick, but, like so many of our neighbors, I love this town and will never give up on it.
I am running for office because I want my kids to be able to live in an Oakland that is safe, affordable, thriving, diverse, and fun. That doesn’t appear to be the trajectory we’re on right now. I want them to be able to afford to live here and I want them to WANT to live here. I am running for office not to launch a career in politics, but to complete a career in public service.- My top priorities are: 1) public safety that doesn't compromise our values; 2) getting the unhoused into transitional housing and streamlining the process for building dense, affordable, infill housing; 3) providing constituent services, listening to community needs, and working towards making Oakland a less chaotic, more functional place to live and do business.
- Temperament is key in this job. For too long Oakland has been torn apart by petty political squabbling. If you look at my list of endorsers you'll see some politicians you like, some you don't, and a lot who don't like each other very much. But they all agree that I am someone who can cut through the nonsense, set aside the childishness, and work towards collaborative solutions, even with other elected with whom I frequently disagree. In addition to all of our statewide reps like Nancy Skinner, Buffy Wicks, and Mia Bonta, I've been endorsed by 14 current and former City Council members, as well as the Democratic Party, Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, the Alameda Labor Council, and dozens of elected officials and community groups.
- I have the humility to know the things that I don't know, and the curiosity to seek out people more expert than myself. I don't promise to have all the answers on the first day, but I am excited to get to work with my new colleagues. I pledge to make myself a responsive, attentive council member, focussing on the needs of the community. Our diverse Oakland population has a depth and breadth of knowledge that benefits those who take the time to listen and ask questions.
I am also passionate about the need to make Oakland a welcoming place for business, both small and large. I firmly believe that in Oakland, labor and business interests are partners, not foes, and that we work towards a common project of lifting up our City. We can't thrive as a city without a successful business infrastructure and we need to do everything we can to convince businesses from other cities to relocate here, help existing businesses expand, and encourage young Oaklanders to start new projects.
In addition, Oakland City Councilmembers must always remain responsive to their constituents.
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Oakland City Council District 1 |
Officeholder Oakland City Council District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 5, 2024
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Dan Kalb |
Oakland City Council District 1 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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