2 East Bay political leaders killed in SoCal car crash

FALLBROOK Calif. - Two East Bay political leaders, Peggy Moore and her wife, Hope Wood, were killed in a crash in San Diego County on Friday night, according to friends.

Moore helped work on former President Obama's campaign in 2008 and was an advisor to former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.

In 2019, Moore and Hope started the political consulting firm Hope Action Change.

The couple also championed same-sex causes, campaigning to prevent a state ballot proposition aimed at invalidating same-sex marriages from passing.

"I’m heartbroken to hear of the tragic loss of Peggy Moore and Hope Wood. Peggy was a friend, an activist, and one of the best organizers I knew. Her passion and fight for justice and equality is what brought her and Hope together," U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee said in a statement. "Both Peggy and Hope made an impact on our community, on our city, on our state, and on our nation that will be felt for generations to come."

The San Diego Union Tribune reported that Moore and Wood were two of four people who died in a three-vehicle collision on state Route 76 on Horse Ranche Creek Road in Fallbrook. 

A person driving a silver Chrysler 300 eastbound on SR-76 swerved into the highway’s westbound lanes, striking a white Jeep Gladiator. The head-on crash caused a silver Toyota Camry behind the Jeep to be involved in a minor sideswipe, the CHP said in a statement.

The driver of the Chrysler and the 58-year-old man driving the Jeep died of their injuries, along with two adult passengers in the Jeep, Kind added. A third passenger in the Jeep suffered major injuries.

Officials said it is unclear why the driver of the Chrysler veered into oncoming traffic, and it is unknown whether alcohol or drugs were a factor.