Hi, I’m Terry. I am a poet, slam champion, community organizer, and social democrat born and raised in Southwest Berkeley. Before being elected to represent District 2 on the City Council, I served as Vice-Chair of Berkeley’s Transportation Commission and a California Assembly District 15 associate member of the Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee. I’ve previously served the City of Berkeley on the Grants Committee of the Children, Youth, and Recreation Commission and the Grants Committee of the Civic Arts Commission.

As an openly gay, working-class Black man raised in West Berkeley by a single mother, I am no stranger to stigma and prejudice. Fortunately, I have been able to grow up in a city that champions justice and social change. I have always had influential teachers and mentors, especially women of color, women, and religious minorities, all of whom instilled me with courage and dedication to advocacy and civic engagement.

For these reasons, I am immensely proud to be an alumnus of Berkeley Public Schools, Berkeley City College, and Saint Mary’s College of California. My great-grandfather was a Texan farmer who fled racial violence in the South, my grandfather was a Navy vet, and my grandmother is a retired nurse. My father is a retired accountant who served BUSD and the City of Richmond. My mother is a retired in-home elder care provider. My husband is a psychiatric nurse, and my sister is an IHSS care provider. Social justice and compassionate service have always been core beliefs of mine.

As your District 2 City Councilmember, I will build upon and amplify my role as a champion of racial justice and social equity in the City of Berkeley.

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Latest Updates

  • 4/22 9th St Traffic Calming Neighborhood Workshop
    Thursday April 225:30-6:30pm Join Councilmember Terry Taplin, Matt George (Berkeley Firefighters Association IAFF 1227),& Kim Walton (District 2 Transportation Commissioner) in a Neighborhood Workshop for calming traffic on 9th Street. Register at https://tinyurl.com/9thStTraffic
  • Councilmember Taplin Proposes Urgent Ninth Street Traffic Safety Improvements
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4/13/2021 BERKELEY, CA – Jackie Erbe, a local mobility justice activist, was struck by a motorist on March 16 while biking with her child at Ninth Street and Channing Street and was hospitalized with serious injuries. In response to this near-tragedy and countless others like it, City Councilmember Terry Taplin (District 2) and Mayor Arreguín […]
  • April 23: From Community College to Elected Office Panel Discussion
    AAUW Berkeley Presents: From Community College to Elected Office Interested in running for office someday? Join us for a panel discussion and workshop! Friday, April 23rd, from 4-6pm Sign up at: www.tinyurl.com/cctoelectedofffice
  • South Berkeley Community Safety Townhall
    South Berkeley Community Safety Townhall Join Councilmembers Taplin, Bartlett, Mayor Arreguin, Interim Police Chief Jen Louis, and special guests, Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb and Emeryville City Councilmember John Bauters for a townhall discussion on community safety, March 31 2021 at 7pm! Register at https://tinyurl.com/SBerkTownHall!
  • In response to rise in shootings, City Councilmembers propose bike/foot patrol in West and South Berkeley, and will host town hall.
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 17, 2021 BERKELEY, CA —Responding to a recent surge in shootings and homicides, City Councilmembers Terry Taplin, Ben Bartlett, and Mayor Jesse Arreguín introduced a budget referral this week to fund a bike and foot patrol in West Berkeley and parts of South Berkeley, similar to the foot patrol already deployed on Telegraph Avenue. […]

Talk with Terry


Send a message to ttaplin@cityofberkeley.info
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