Director Lane announces retirement from East Bay Parks board

Beverly Lane, a former Danville mayor and longtime member of the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors, announced Tuesday that she would be stepping down at the end of her current term this fall.

Lane’s departure from EBRPD’s Ward 6 seat, which contains the San Ramon Valley and is the only ward entirely within Contra Costa County, would come after roughly 28 years in office, having been elected in 1994.

During her tenure on the board, Lane’s emphases have been preservation of open spaces and access to public parks and trails. She was one of the founders of the Iron Horse Regional Trail.

Lane first moved to Danville with her family in 1973. She was among the first members of the Danville Town Council, following the town’s incorporation in 1982, where she remained until 1993.

In addition to her Ward 6 seat, Lane is co-chair of Friends of the San Ramon Creek and curator at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, where she also served as the founding president for the museum’s Board of Trustees.

Having studied English and history in college, and going on to earn a Masters in Public Administration, Lane has spent her career focusing on the natural and cultural resources of the San Ramon Valley during nearly 50 years as a Danville resident. She has authored a total of four books on local history.

The regional parks in Lane’s Ward 6 include Las Trampas, Bishop Ranch, Diablo Foothills and Thurgood Marshall. The 2,500-acre Thurgood Marshall park, formerly part of the Concord Naval Weapon Station, is a new addition that had been championed by Lane. She has also spearheaded efforts to create an agricultural park in Danville, on the long-vacant portion of Armand Borel’s former walnut orchard.

Lane will serve out the remainder of her term, which expires at the end of 2022. Her successor is set to be elected by local voters in November’s general election.