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.
Latest Updates
- Berkeley City Council Unanimously Passes CM Taplin’s Hazard Pay for Grocery Store WorkersFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 24, 2021 BERKELEY, CA — On February 23rd, the Berkeley City Council enacted the Hazard Pay for Grocery Workers Ordinance, which requires Hazard Pay in the amount of $5 per hour for grocery workers in Berkeley, effective immediately, in grocery stores that employ 300 or more workers in California. The requirement will remain in […]
- Councilmember Taplin Proposes West Berkeley Traffic Calming Budget ReferralsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2021 BERKELEY, CA — City Councilmember Terry Taplin has introduced two budget referrals to implement long-overdue traffic calming measures on “High-Injury” streets in West Berkeley. One budget referral targets the intersection of Sixth Street and Addison Street for the addition of Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons to enhance pedestrian safety and calm an intersection […]
- Councilmember Taplin Proposes Affordable Housing Overlay for Berkeley with Councilmembers Bartlett and Robinson as CosponsorsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2021 Modeled after a new policy in Cambridge, MA, and a state density bonus established by Assembly Bill 1763 (2019), the proposal would permit up to an additional 6 stories as-of-right for 100% affordable housing in some neighborhoods, one additional story as-of-right in single-family neighborhoods, and aiming for 8 total stories as-of-right in commercial zones. […]
- CM Taplin Proposes “Housing as Human Right” Resolution with Social Housing Pilot ProgramFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEFebruary 9, 2021 BERKELEY, CA—City Councilmember Terry Taplin has introduced a resolution to recognize housing as a human right in the City of Berkeley. Cosponsored by Councilmembers Hahn, Harrison, and Mayor Arreguín, the resolution calls for holding city government accountable to this ideal with objective measures for tracking security of tenure and freedom of mobility in an intersectional […]
- Berkeley City Councilmembers Introduce Proposal for Grocery Worker Hazard Pay.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 14, 2021 BERKELEY, CA—Councilmembers Terry Taplin, Rigel Robinson, Ben Bartlett, and Mayor Jesse Arreguín have introduced a proposal to guarantee an additional $5 in hourly hazard pay for employees of large grocery stores. The City Council will vote on the proposal on January 19. According to UFCW Local 5, which represents grocery store workers throughout the […]