Tom Bates (born February 9, 1938) is a California politician, currently serving as the mayor of Berkeley, California.
He previously served in the California State Assembly representing the 14th District (the East Bay Area) from 1976 to 1996. He is married to Loni Hancock , a former mayor of Berkeley who presently represents the 14th District. Bates is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley.
In his 2002 campaign for mayor, he admitted to trashing a thousand copies of The Daily Californian after the student newspaper endorsed his opponent, Shirley Dean. In response, Bates paid a $250 fine for the infraction and urged the Berkeley city council to pass an ordinance outlawing the stealing of free newspapers. Additionally, he promised to speak to Berkeley public school students about the consequences of his actions, and he agreed to pay the newspaper a $500 restitution fee.
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