East Bay parks director Ellen Corbett, a former state Senate majority leader and San Leandro’s first woman elected mayor, died on Friday. She was 69.
Corbett had been serving as a Ward 4 director for the park district since 2016, representing Oakland, San Leandro and Alameda. Before that, she served in the state Assembly from 1998 to 2004 and the state Senate from 2006 to 2014.
East Bay Regional Parks General Manager Sabrina Landreth called Corbett a fearless leader for regional parks and a champion of the organization’s mission.
“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 said in a statement.
Corbett was just the second woman in history to serve as senate majority leader in the California State Senate, a post she held from 2010 to 2014.
She was focused on policy issues impacting consumer rights and protecting natural resources. According to her Senate biography, she authored over 160 bills signed into law, including new requirements for seismic safety in K-12 school buildings, greater privacy protections for domestic violence and stalking victims, and the California Car Buyers’ Protection Act.
In 2018, Corbett co-chaired the campaign to pass the Measure FF special tax to fund regional park services including wildfire prevention, improved trails and visitor facilities, and restoring natural habitats, including urban creeks and hillsides. The measure passed with 85.6% of the vote.
From January 2020 to January 2021, she served as president of the East Bay Regional Parks board, when county health departments led an effort to keep parks open during the pandemic.
She was raised in the East Bay and attended California State University, Hayward, according to her Senate biographt. She graduated from the University of California, Davis and McGeorge School of Law.
She leaves behind her son, Ryan Boehme, who works as a paramedic.
Flags at the park district’s properties will be flown at half-staff in honor of Corbett’s passing.
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