Moraga Town Councilman Steve Woehleke

Steve Woehleke discovered his passion for woodwork while taking basic classes at high school, turning his hobby into an addiction. Since then, he’s designed entry tables, hope chests and bookcases for himself as well as pieces for silent charity auctions.

At the May 25 Moraga Town Council meeting, councilmembers Renata Sos and Steve Woehleke quietly changed roles as Mayor/Vice Mayor without much fanfare or sudden changes.

Early Life and Education

After his house fire in 2010, Woehleke took advantage of the rebuild process to enlarge and transform his garage attic into a woodworking workshop. Starting out by creating simple pieces, over time he has produced such pieces as entry tables for his foyer, built-in closets with drawers and mirrors for his daughter’s room, hope chests, bookcases, coffee tables, TV entertainment cabinets and indoor accent chairs – among many other pieces!

He has lived in Moraga his whole life and served on various boards such as Town Council, Design Review Board, Planning Commission and Hacienda Foundation – experience which provided him with strong leadership capabilities. Furthermore, he was an active Kiwanis Club member for more than two decades – attending fundraising silent auctions hosted by this club as well as volunteering his services for them.

Achievement and Honors

Steve Woehleke was first elected to Moraga Town Council in 2018 for four-year terms and in 2022 was re-elected for another four-year term. He currently holds the Vice Mayor role, presided over City Council meetings, and served as Vice Mayor until recently when Sos, Onoda, and Makker decided against seeking out Woehleke to become Vice Mayor – breaking over four decades of Town tradition by leapfrogging him for that position instead. There has been much consternation and anger among community members over this decision – which violated over four decades of Town tradition.

He is a founding member of Moraga Citizens Network and co-hosts Candidates Night with Saint Mary’s College each election cycle. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors for East Bay Municipal Utility District.

Personal Life

He has been active with multiple Moraga volunteer organizations such as the Kiwanis Club, Planning Commission, and Town Council – serving both as President for two of them.

Furniture artist Thomas is also a master craftsman. Utilizing his woodworking abilities, he crafts such items as an entry table for his foyer, built-in (floor-to-ceiling) closets, hope chests, book shelves and other pieces he often donates them as prizes to silent auctions benefitting local charities.