Madison Park now named for supervisor
Wilma Chan Park honors community leader killed in 2021
OAKLAND >> Madison Park will soon be renamed Wilma Chan Park in honor of the Alameda County supervisor who was fatally hit by a car last fall while walking her dog.
The Oakland City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the name change for the park, which is located in Chinatown and long has been a hub for community gatherings, tai chi practices for older residents and physical education classes for students. It's also been a site for COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics.
Wilma Chan, who was the first Asian American woman elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and once served as the Assembly's majority leader, had earned a reputation as a resolute advocate for children and the Asian American community, a progressive politician who loyally represented her constituents. “Sup. Chan's contributions supporting the wellness of underserved and uninsured communities — especially championing children, families, seniors, immigrants, and AAPI neighbors — spanned her service on the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education, Alameda County Board of Supervisors, California State Assembly, and Alameda County Children and Families Commission,” City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas wrote in a letter urging the council to rename the park.
Chan's political career spanned three decades. She was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 1994 and six years later won a seat in the Assembly. After she termed out of that seat, Chan ran against Loni Hancock two years later for the state Senate but lost. She spent the next four years on the California Medical Assistance Commission board before launching another run for a seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 2010. She won and had since represented Alameda, San Leandro, parts of Oakland, and the unincorporated communities of San Lorenzo, Hayward Acres and a portion of Ashland until her Nov. 3 death in Alameda.
A petition to rename Madison Park after Chan was signed by 370 people and supported by community leaders. The Oakland Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission recommended the name change to the City Council.
“With her tragic death last year from a pedestrian traffic collision in Alameda, we feel a fitting way to honor her legacy could be at an Oakland Chinatown park that she supported,” Michael Lok of Asian Health Services wrote in launching the petition. “We believe this renaming would help unite the community and help motivate both public and private investments to improve the park in both short and long terms.”
It's not the only landmark to bear her name. In March, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors renamed Highland Hospital — a trauma center that is part of the county's hospital network — the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital.