Robin López (second from left) with his son, Ōmeteōtl (Omie), partner, Stephanie, and daughter, Melaie, at the Albany City Council chambers following his appointment. Photo by Trinidad Vazquez.
Congratulations to Robin López, a PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, on being appointed mayor of Albany, California.
López, who grew up in the neighboring City of Richmond, was elected to an at-large seat on the five-person Albany City Council in November 2022 and most recently served as vice mayor. He assumed the role of mayor during the city’s special council meeting on December 9, succeeding Mayor John Miki. Council members rotate into the role of mayor and vice mayor, serving one-year terms in each.
“One of my goals as mayor during this upcoming year is to lead our community through a path of healing,” López, who is the first person of Latino and mixed-Indigenous (Purepecha) ancestry to serve on the city council, said following his appointment. “I look forward to interacting and engaging with community members from all walks of life and experiences as we do that.”
López is a graduate student in the lab of Cooperative Extension professor Ted Grantham (co-advised by Professor Paolo D'Odorico) studying water quality in streams and the environmental justice dimensions of river restoration. He previously worked as a research associate studying climate change in the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area of Berkeley Lab and served as a mentor to local fourth- and fifth-grade students.
He also served on Albany’s Social and Economic Justice Commission, which advised the city council on actions to address the social and environmental issues affecting residents’ welfare.
Read more about López in Breakthroughs magazine, and watch the video of his appointment below.