Pete Stark: “The 75th anniversary of the East Bay Regional Park District really goes back to the early grassroots days of actually…”

“The 75th anniversary of the East Bay Regional Park District really goes back to the early grassroots days of actually the Depression, when people in our district banded together in that time to organize and tax themselves to create this district. These parks are owned by everyone. In the Great Depression, they created the district and the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the WPA were the initial workers in these parks. It would be remiss for me not to recognize general manager Pat O'Brien, who has worked so hard to keep these parks open. In my district, you can move from the hills of Freemont to the crown park in Alameda, to the hills behind Oakland and never be beyond walking distance of these marvelous parks. So it is a compliment to the chairman, and I would like to join with him in recognizing the importance of our regional park district, and thanking the local people in hopes that others may follow suit.”