McLaughlin Eastshore State Park is one of the most outstanding achievements in the history of open space protection. It is the result of decades of citizen efforts to protect San Francisco Bay as a public open space resource. Over 4,000 major stakeholders and interested parties reached a substantial consensus on the future uses and improvements for the park. The newly designated State seashore is a recreational facility harmonious with its natural setting. It is located in the midst of one of the most highly urbanized areas of California.
On October 3, 2012, the California State Park and Recreation Commission renamed this 8.5-mile shoreline parkland McLaughlin Eastshore State Park in honor of Save The Bay co-founder Sylvia McLaughlin.
The park extends 8.5 miles along the East Bay shoreline from the Bay Bridge to Richmond. It includes 1,833 acres of uplands and tidelands along the waterfronts of Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond. The park parallels the most heavily traveled corridor in the East Bay, making it a highly visible, highly accessible area of parkland.
The East Bay Regional Park District, acting as agent for the State, used funds from the Park District's 1988 Measure AA and state park bonds to acquire the property and clean up contaminated areas at a cost of more than $33 million. The McLaughlin Eastshore State Park General Plan identifies the future preservation, conservation, and recreation uses and improvements for the park.
The Park District is the operator of the park using funds from the Park District's Measure CC, approved by District voters in 2004. The City of Albany currently owns and operates the Albany Bulb which is adjacent to but outside of the park boundaries. The park does not yet include the Albany Bulb
Collecting or destroying anything in the park, including mushrooms, is prohibited.
