Oakland Heritage Alliance welcomes Brenda Montano, EBRPD’s Archives Program Supervisor, and David Zuckermann, Retiree and volunteer.

Judge John Sutter was a trailblazer for conservation in the East Bay, advocating for the environment and outdoors long before it was fashionable. The East Bay native passed away in 2021 at the age of 92 after a long and distinguished career in public service, including stints as an East Bay Regional Park District Board Member, Oakland City Council Member, and Alameda County Superior Court Judge.

Two Governor Browns played a role in Sutter’s career: In 1982, Jerry Brown appointed him to the superior court bench; in 1965, Brown’s father, Governor “Pat” Brown, installed Sutter as board member of the SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission the year of its inception. Even earlier, in 1958, Sutter helped found the group today known as Greenbelt Alliance to help fight the loss of open space to urban sprawl.

In 1967, he first envisioned the creation of a park at the foot of the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge while the land was part of the Oakland Army Base. He never stopped fighting, and over 50 years later, Sutter’s vision came to pass when the Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline opened to the public in 2020. The park symbolizes his vision and staying power as a dedicated public servant and strong voice for environmental protection and equitable public access to the shoreline and other urban wonders. Shortly after he retired from the park district board, Judge Sutter reflected on his long journey: “Well, I think what works is tenacity and persistence…You can’t just do it as a sort of short-term issue…you stick to the facts and persevere.”

Join tonight’s presenters, Brenda Montano, EBRPD’s Archives Program Supervisor and David Zuckermann, EBRPD Retiree and Archives Volunteer, as they bring to life Judge John Sutter’s inspiring and impressive career using the unique records in the East Bay Regional Park District Archives.

About Our Presenters

Brenda Montano, a 21-year veteran of the East Bay Regional Park District Public Affairs department, has spent the past 18 years developing a park district history center. In this she is aided by volunteers and part time contracted staff and interns, and since the past year, one full time staff. In 2020, Brenda was promoted to the position of the first Archives Program Supervisor for the Park District. Brenda has personally reached out to the families and descendants of many key figures in park district history, including Judge John Sutter.

Dave Zuckermann grew up in Berkeley, roaming the wilds of Tilden Regional Park as a kid. He went on to enjoy a satisfying career working in parks, eventually ending up right back at Tilden. He worked first as an interpretive naturalist there, then later ran the Environmental Education Center and Little Farm. He was also a Lieutenant in the District’s Fire Department. In 2020, he retired after 33 years with the East Bay Regional Park District, working most recently as Regional Interpretive & Recreation Services Manager.

Dave has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UC Berkeley. He currently teaches courses in Conservation and Resource Management at Merritt College’s Natural History and Sustainability certificate program.

Ticket Fees:

Members: $10 / General Public: $15