Ellen Corbett, the board director of the East Bay Regional Parks District, passed away peacefully on Friday, the Parks District announced in a press release.
After serving as San Leandro’s mayor from 1994 to 1998, Corbett, now 69, took up his seat in the California State Assembly, representing District 19, for the next six years. She later entered the race for the 10th district seat in the California State Senate after eight years as a state senator and four years as the majority leader of the Senate.
Sabrina Landreth, general manager of Parks District, said, “Ellen was an incredible champion of our mission and a tireless advocate for communities to have access to open space, public parks, and nature.”
“Her time with us was the capstone to a long, decorated, and meaningful public service career in local and state government, including serving as the majority leader of the California State Senate and the Mayor of San Leandro,” Landreth stated.
After losing his 2014 bid for the U.S. House of Representatives position representing District 15 in California, Corbett was elected to the East Bay Regional Parks District Board of Directors two years later. She supported attempts to keep parks open while serving as president of the EBRPD board from January 2020 to January 2021.
“We will remember Ellen as a fearless leader for regional parks at the urban core of the Park District’s jurisdiction,” Landreth stated. “May she rest in peace.”
According to the press announcement, Corbett was also co-chair of the Measure FF campaign, which was approved by 85.6 percent of voters in 2018.
In observance of Corbett, flags at EBRPD sites will fly at half mast.
