Judge John H. Sutter

The honorable Judge John Sutter passed away on May 10th at the age of 92, just seven months after a 22-acre regional shoreline park was named for him and only a few weeks after the death of Elouise Conte Sutter, his wife of 64 years.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland, John H. Sutter was educated in public schools and displayed an early interest in politics. After serving in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, he pursued an education at Harvard College and Stanford Law School. He joined the district attorney’s office of Alameda County, prosecuting more than 100 jury cases over five years before beginning his private law practice.

After successful election to the Oakland City Council in 1971, he was twice reelected and served until 1982, when he became a superior court judge in Alameda County for the next fourteen years.

John’s environmental advocacy dates back more than sixty years. He was a founding member of Citizens for Regional Recreation and Parks (CRRP), later known as People for Open Space (and still later Greenbelt Alliance). He co-chaired Citizens against Trucks on the MacArthur Freeway, served on the BART trails committee, and worked on many other local issues in the Oakland area, including campaigns to fight development of San Pablo Reservoir and to save the Snow Museum site. Governor Pat Brown appointed him to serve on the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and he worked with Jack Kent and others through CRRP to produce “The Case for Open Space,” a recommendation of Bay Area lands to preserve. He served on the board of Save the Bay and other organizations, and was an early advocate for the shoreline at San Leandro Bay.

In 1967 he had the foresight to advocate for part of the Oakland Army Base to be a public park if the base should ever close. The now renamed “Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline” park is at the entrance to the Bay Bridge walk/ bike way. It includes a pier for fishing and picnicking, with a unique view of the Bay. Elected to the East Bay Regional Park District’s board of directors in November 1996, John served the Regional Parks for twenty years. His ward included Anthony Chabot, part of Briones, Claremont Canyon, Huckleberry, Leona Open Space, Part of Las Trampas, Redwood, Roberts, Sibley and Temescal. John served on many other boards over the years including the local Sierra Club, YMCA, Oakland Citizens Committee for Urban Renewal (OCCUR), Oakland Shoreline Committee, Oakland Arts Council and Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission. His many awards and honors include the “Making Democracy Work” award from the League of Women Voters. Judge John Sutter was proceeded in death by his wife Elouise Conte Sutter, brother Art Sutter and brother-in-law George Nash. He is survived by his sister Lucille Nash and sister-inlaw Dorothy Sutter, three daughters: Susan Hultgren, Maria Sutter, and Sally Sutter, son-in-law Robert Hultgren, and daughterin-law, Maura Shannon. He is also survived by his grandchildren: John Sutter-Valadez, Lily Shannon-Sutter and Sophia Sutter as well as three nephews and five nieces.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 24th, 2021, at 2 PM at the Bridge Yard Building at the Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline in Oakland. RSVP to email: msalas@ebparks.org if you would like to attend.

To donate to the regional Parks Foundation in memory of Judge John Sutter, you may either donate online at: www. regional parks foundation. org/donate, or mail your donation to the Regional Parks Foundation at P.O. Box 2527, Castro Valley, CA 94546. Please be sure to note that the donation is in honor of Judge John Sutter on your mailed donation, or within the gift comments box if donating online.