Civil Rights, Peace, and Social Justice: A California for All Californians

As the first openly gay man to serve on the Berkeley City Council, Kriss has worked on jut about every social justice issue under the sun. In Berkeley, he has been at the forefront of almost all major civil rights issues. In an ever changing and diverse state as California, we need a champion who has a track record of fighting for everyone. Kriss understands that it takes a heart, brains, and courage to do what's right. As an Assemblymember, Kriss will fight to give voice to the voiceless and make sure that we have a state government that is compassionate and accountable to everyone. As a local leader, Kriss has served on the boards of both the NAACP and NOW, and he has a proven track record for appointing the most diverse city commissioners of any councilmember. A lifelong activist, Kriss is the only man ever to be honored by Berkeley's Commission on the Status of Women for his work in increasing the hiring and appointment of women in Berkeley. We can count on Kriss to lead us forward!

Kriss's Track Record

• Helped Berkeley become the first city in the world to offer training for its police department on LGBT sensitivity, including four hours on transgender awareness.
• Helped establish the Berkeley Police Department's LGBT community liaison.
• Helped Berkeley become the first city in America to endorse marriage equality.
• Spearheaded the Equal Benefits Ordinance, which mandates that businesses working with the City provide equal benefits for domestic partners.
• Lobbied on behalf of LGBT issues at the State and Federal levels.
• Sponsored a resolution to create a hate-crimes unit in the police department to help protect threatened Jewish, Latino, Asian, African-American, Muslim and LGBT communities.
• Initiated and coordinates the annual City Holocaust Remembrance Day program, in which the program members document the stories of Holocaust survivors.
• Appointed more than four times as many Latinos, African-Americans, Native Americans and Asian/Pacific Islanders to City commissions than his predecessor on the City Council had. Also dramatically increased the amount of disabled, LGBT and student commissioners.
• Secured $45,000 for disabled access to student housing.
• Commissioned a study on workplace discrimination and lobbied the City Council to increase diversity on City commissions. As a result, for the first time in 100 years, 50% of Berkeley City commissioners were women.
• Received honors from The Commission on the Status of Women (COSOW) for his "outstanding service on behalf of the women of Berkeley," the only man in history ever so honored by COSOW.
• Helped secure funding for a daytime youth center for homeless youth at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley.
• Led the City Council in its unanimous condemnation of the Bush-Cheney "Patriot Act".
• Led the City Council in opposing the Bush-Cheney war in Iraq and urging U.N. diplomacy.
• Was the first openly gay person elected to the Berkeley City Council and the first openly gay Vice Mayor of Berkeley.