Rebecca Kaplan
Rebecca Kaplan | |
|---|---|
| Interim Member of the Oakland City Council District 2 | |
| In office January 6, 2025 – April 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Nikki Fortunato Bas |
| Succeeded by | Charlene Wang |
| Member of the Oakland City Council At-large District | |
| In office January 6, 2009 – January 6, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Chang, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Rowena Brown |
| Vice Mayor of Oakland | |
| In office January 19, 2021 – January 6, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Larry Reid |
| Member of the AC Transit Board of Directors | |
| In office June 18, 2002 – December 17, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Matt Williams |
| Succeeded by | Joel Young |
| Constituency | At-large |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rebecca Dawn Kaplan September 17, 1970 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Party | Democratic (since 2008) |
| Other political affiliations | Green (until 2008) |
| Spouse |
Pamela Rosin
(m. 2014; div. 2019) |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS) Tufts University (MA) Stanford University (JD) |
| Website | Government website |
Rebecca Dawn Kaplan (born September 17, 1970) is a Canadian-born American attorney, rabbi and politician who served as an at-large member of the Oakland City Council from 2009 to 2025, and served as interim City Council Member for District 2 from January to April 2025, filling Nikki Fortunato Bas' vacant seat. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Born in Toronto, Ontario and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Kaplan has degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, and Stanford University. She moved to Oakland in the 1990s, where she served as a legislative aide and housing rights attorney. After an unsuccessful run for Oakland City Council in 2000, Kaplan was appointed to and later elected to an at-large seat on the AC Transit Board of Directors in 2002.
Kaplan was elected to an at-large seat on the Oakland City Council in 2008. She was the youngest and first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Oakland City Council. She unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2010 and 2014 and has served one stint as council president and two stints as vice mayor.
Kaplan is a candidate for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to fill the seat of Wilma Chan.