About Rebecca Kaplan

Rebecca Kaplan was born in Ontario, Canada and grew up living with a universal healthcare system, in a family and community which encouraged her to fight for the rights of workers.  Stories about the history of worker abuses and the fight for worker rights, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, as well as people giving their lives for social justice, such as the murder of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner were part of Rebecca's upbringing and inform her values.

Rebecca attended MIT as an undergraduate, where she was actively involved in organizing for women’s rights and reproductive freedom, LGBT equality, and part of the successful effort to get her campus to divest from apartheid-era South Africa.  She volunteered on the re-election campaign of Senator Kennedy and worked for the City of Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women. Rebecca obtained her law degree from Stanford Law School, where she had the opportunity to learn from teachers like Michelle Alexander (author of The New Jim Crow) and became involved in advocacy for prisoner rights and against mass incarceration.  She worked in Oakland as a tenant’s rights attorney and advocate and helped pass “Just Cause for Eviction” on the ballot.  She served for over seven years on the AC Transit Board of Directors, an elected position, and expanded late night bus service, opposed outsourcing, expanded bike-transit connections, solar power, and sustainable fuel initiatives.

Rebecca Serves All of Oakland

Rebecca Kaplan serves all Oakland on the City Council as Oakland’s only At-Large City Councilmember since being elected in 2008. Before joining the City Council, she served as an elected director on the AC Transit Board and worked as a housing rights attorney in Oakland.

Rebecca Is An Effective Leader For Oakland and the Region

Rebecca successfully applied for and obtained a seat representing our entire region on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District Board, increasing Oakland’s voice as the heart of the Bay Region, and taking action for cleaner air and public health for all of us, winning millions of dollars and changes in policy to better serve the needs of our hardest-hit community, within a term.

Kaplan also serves on the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), which oversees the $8 billion transportation funding from Measure BB.  Kaplan has served as Chair of ACTC, elected by her colleagues county-wide.

Rebecca Is Sharp & Thoughtful

Rebecca is sharp, well-educated and grasps complex challenges. A lawyer by trade, she earned a Bachelor’s degree from M.I.T. (Phi Beta Kappa); a Master’s in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University, and a law degree from Stanford Law School. Kaplan received awards for outstanding leadership in advancing LGBT rights and women’s rights, and for racial justice.

Rebecca Is A Trailblazer

Rebecca is the first out lesbian to hold elected office in Oakland history. And despite being one of the more senior members of the Oakland City Council, she is one of its youngest members.

Rebecca Is Innovative & Forward-Thinking

Rebecca works to solve problems with a cutting-edge approach. By using 21st century technology and working respectfully with others, we can more efficiently, effectively and creatively solve complex challenges and cut through bureaucratic red tape.

Rebecca Is A Person Of Faith

Rebecca is a bible scholar who attended Orthodox Hebrew school from a young age. She’s well-studied in scripture, fluent in Old Testament Hebrew and has taught bible classes for a variety of congregations. In 2010, the New York Times wrote a profile about her sermons in Oakland churches.