Sacramento, CA – State Senator Steve Glazer has been awarded the East Bay Regional Park District and Regional Parks Foundation’s 2019 Radke Championing Advocacy Award. Senator Glazer was instrumental in securing $5 million in the 2018-19 State Budget for improvements at Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore, including upgrades to the park’s aging water delivery system, which supplies water throughout the 4,395-acre park. Senator Glazer was presented with the award at a celebration in Sacramento in August.
Del Valle Regional Park is one of three state parks managed by the Park District at its own cost, with no operational funding from the state. Opened in 1970, Del Valle serves three critical functions of recreation, water storage, and flood protection. The full array of recreational opportunities include swimming, fishing, hiking, picnicking, camping, boating, paddle boarding, and environmental education.
“Senator Glazer is a great champion for the environment and parks in Sacramento,” said East Bay Regional Park District Board President Ayn Wieskamp, who represents the Livermore area on the Park District Board. “I am pleased that Senator Glazer has been recognized for his efforts with the 2019 Radke Championing Advocacy Award.”
Senator Glazer also introduced legislation in 2019 to ban smoking in state parks and beaches. The legislation has passed through both the Senate and the Assembly and was signed by the governor. The Park District prohibits smoking in its regional parks also.
“We appreciate Senator Glazer’s leadership and advocacy in Sacramento,” said East Bay Regional Park District General Manager Robert Doyle. “We value our continued partnership working together to protect land for conservation and recreation.”
The Radke Championing Advocacy award is named for late Park District Board Member Ted Radke who advanced state and federal support for park funding and strengthened the Park District’s ties in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Radke served 36 years on the Park District Board of Directors and was the longest-serving Board member in its 85-year history.
The East Bay Regional Park District is the largest regional park system in the nation, comprising 73 parks, 55 miles of shoreline, and 1,250 miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and environmental education. The Park District receives more than 25 million visits annually throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
