Mayor Adena Ishii of Berkeley — the birthplace of the independent living movement — joins Dr. Victor Pineda to explore what it means to lead a city through the lens of disability justice, belonging, and community care.

Mayor Ishii reflects on her journey into public service, what it means to lead as an openly disabled mayor in a city with this history, and how Berkeley’s legacy of activism continues to shape its future. She and Victor dig into the city’s most urgent challenges — housing, homelessness, and climate impacts — and how those crises disproportionately affect disabled residents, plus the often-overlooked role of attendants and care workers in keeping people safely housed and independent. The conversation closes with concrete ways residents can engage with local government to push for greater access and accountability.

Subscribe to The Independent, produced by the Center for Independent Living (CIL), for more conversations on disability justice, leadership, and the future of inclusive communities.