Golden Gate Fields opened in 1941 and became a major horse racing venue in the Bay Area. (Berkeley scanner)
The funding would come from Proposition 4, a climate bond approved by California voters in 2024, San Fransisco Chronicle reported. The proposal was introduced by state Sen Jesse Arreguin and is aimed at helping transform the former racetrack into a regional public park along the East Bay shoreline. The Trust for Public Land announced in March that it intended to purchase the property and preserve it as a park.
The park could connect Albany Beach with McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, according to Arreguin’s office. The national nonprofit, which acquires land for parks and conservation, has been working with local officials, conservationists and community groups on the proposed acquisition. The proposed park would not stand alone. The proposal would also create a larger continuous open-space area linking Albany Beach, McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, Point Isabel Regional Shoreline, Albany Bulb and Brooks Island Regional Preserve. The Trust for Public Land plans to donate the property to the East Bay Regional Park District after purchasing it. The land is divided between the city boundaries of Albany and Berkeley. The proposed park would include a mix of recreational facilities and open space.
If lawmakers approve the $125 million allocation, the funding could help the Trust for Public Land complete its planned purchase and move the former racetrack closer to becoming a public waterfront park. Arreguin, who was Berkeley’s mayor when the closure was announced, supported turning the property into public open space.
Berkeley civic leaders Loni Hancock and Tom Bates also spoke in favour of the plan, according to Arreguin. For now, the proposed transformation depends on the state budget process.
Earlier this month, environmentalists and community members testified before a state Senate budget subcommittee in support of funding for the park proposal.