Dear Hayward Community,

Yesterday, Alameda County Supervisor Richard Valle passed away. Colleagues and friends across the East Bay are devastated and feeling sad. Supervisor Valle’s district included Hayward, Union City, Newark, and parts of Fremont.

While Supervisor Valle’s main office was in Oakland, he always had one of his district offices in Hayward. He did this because he was committed to Hayward and although he lived in the Decoto Neighborhood in Union City, he was a champion for Hayward kids, families, and all the agencies responsible for serving children and families. One of his biggest recent contributions to Hayward is negotiating with Kaiser Hospital the seed money that launched the beginning of development of The Stack Center in South Hayward. The Stack Center will be a brand new multi-million-dollar facility for Hayward Area children and families so they can participate in recreation activities, education experiences, as well as receive health and wellness services. Supervisor Valle’s legacy in Hayward will be millions of dollars of investments in programs, services, and buildings that ensure healthy and strong kids and families into the future.

Supervisor Valle has mentored Council Members and Mayors across Alameda County. He’s The Dean of the Dais. His approach to policy was intellectual, methodical, and he always put people first in his decisions. He was a veteran, and his Buddhist faith informed his responsibility to protect all living things regardless of how small. His commitment to protecting the environment was strong and he showed this by his annual Science at the Park event. Supervisor Valle will be remembered as a man who championed labor and he will be known as someone who brokered some of the most complicated labor agreements in the county.

Personally, I will always remember our early morning meetings at Emil Villas on Mission Boulevard. I learned a lot at our breakfasts, and I will miss his soft voice explaining topics from advancements in science to labor issues to stories about the Mexican American Civil Rights movement.

On behalf of the City of Hayward and the Hayward City Council, we send our condolences to his wife Barbara and the Valle Family. Thank you, Richard, for everything you have done for Hayward and for Hayward Area children and families.

Mark Salinas

Mayor of Hayward