Passing of Former Board Director Doug Siden

Doug Siden, an Alameda resident who served as East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) Board Director of Ward 4 between 1993 and 2017, passed away peacefully on Jan. 7, 2025.

EBRPD General Manager Sabrina Landreth made the following statement about Siden’s passing:

“Doug Siden was a champion for civil rights and a dogged advocate for access, and social and environmental justice. His efforts to support opening thousands of acres of shoreline and parks within the East Bay Regional Parks system is part of his legacy. He will be deeply missed.”

His extraordinary advocacy efforts for East Bay Regional Parks included ensuring access for all, supporting development of the Tidewater Boating Center at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland, extending the SF Bay Trail in Oakland and San Leandro, securing funding to preserve Alameda’s Robert W. Crown Beach from tidal erosion, and protecting and restoring Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline in San Leandro. He also led successful campaigns for bond measures CC and WW, which continue to fund much-needed Regional Parks and community improvement projects.

Siden’s lifelong dedication to youth education, social justice, and inclusivity began in the 1960s with his service as a minister, and marching alongside civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Alabama on the historic walk from Selma to the State Capitol in Montgomery and with César Chávez on behalf of better treatment for farm workers. He was a founding board member of the MLK Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland and chaired numerous conservation and community organizations.

In June 2022, EBRPD’s Visitor Center at Crab Cove in Alameda was renamed in Siden’s honor.

The flags at EBRPD properties will be flown at half-mast in his honor.