ABOUT TRAC
Trails for Richmond Action Committee

Meet the TRAC Steering Committee

 TRAC, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee was formed July 1999 with its Mission to:
1. Complete the San Francisco Bay Trail in Richmond, assuring that it is linked to public parks and population centers and maintained in perpetuity and
2. Promote use and enjoyment of the Bay Trail by all who live and work in Richmond and as a visitor attraction to showcase the City of Richmond’s shoreline.

When TRAC was founded, Richmond had only 12 miles of San Francisco Bay Trail fragments. This has burgeoned to 36 miles in 20 years thanks primarily to the City of Richmond and East Bay Regional Park District with strong support from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Bay Trail Project, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) and the California Coastal Conservancy.

TRAC has acquired $12.2 million in grant funds used by the City of Richmond to close gaps in the Bay Trail! Stimulated by TRAC’s Interpretive Subcommittee, over 50 new interpretive and way finding exhibits have mushroomed to enrich the Bay Trail experience.

TRAC is working with the City of Richmond, East Bay Regional Park District and the private sector to close the 6.0 miles of gaps remaining in Richmond’s planned Bay Trail. The Richmond Bay Trail Network of supporters is kept informed about Bay Trail events and progress and occasionally asked for emails to support completing the Bay Trail in Richmond. There is no cost to join the Richmond Bay Trail Network – just email us!

TRAC has received many awards for working with diverse partners to expedite completion of the Bay Trail in Richmond, e.g. the Clearwater Award by the Waterfront Center in Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Public Services Award, City of Richmond Community Services and Historic Preservation awards, the Association of Bay Area Governments Award For Service to Local Government and Dedication to the San Francisco Bay Trail and the American Lung Association Clean Air Award.

• TRAC Chair Bruce Beyaert is on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Bay Trail Project. He served nine years as a Director of Save the Bay, 16 years on the Advisory Committee to EBRPD’s Board of Directors, four years as a member of the Advisory Committee to the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority and was Chevron’s Manager of Environmental Planning worldwide. He received the Bob Walker Bay Area Open Space Award from the Bay Area Open Space Council,  Excellence in Motion award by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, California Nature Conservancy’s Outstanding Service Award and the Bay Area Cox Conserves Hero award from Trust for Public Land.
• TRAC Vice Chair Bruce Brubaker has a Master’s Degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley and is a licensed architect and LEED Accredited Professional. He is a principal at Placeworks in Berkeley where he heads the Urban Design Studio. He has expertise in architecture, site planning, design standards and guidelines, streetscape design, public participation including management of multiday charrettes, and creation of Transit-oriented Development plans, downtown plans, specific plans and neighborhood plans. He currently serves on the City of Richmond Planning Commission and has served on the Advisory Committee to EBRPD’s Board of Directors and on the City’s Point Molate Community Advisory Committee.
• Donald Bastin who chairs TRAC’s Interpretive Subcommittee, authored the Richmond book in the Images of America series and and a former member of the Board of Directors of Contra Costa County Historical Society. He served as Director of the Richmond Museum of History and is a founding member of the El Sobrante Historical Society.
• Andrew Butt is a licensed architect and Managing Principal at Interactive Resources, a Richmond-based design firm specializing in public sector work with an emphasis on sustainable and environmentally-sensitive design. He has served on a number of local non-profit boards, and is a founding member and President of Point Richmond Music. Andrew termed out after serving as Vice-Chair of the Planning Commission for the City of Richmond.
• Claudia Garcia is a Principal Planner with the City of Berkeley where she serves as the environmental review officer and helps the projects team process development applications. As a CEQA practitioner she has experience working on a broad range of projects and environmental issues. In her spare time, she serves as a Director-at-large for the Association of Environmental Professionals State Board and previously served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Richmond.
• Michelle Hook is a landscape designer at Studio Green located in Marin County. Prior to Studio Green, Michelle worked for City and County agencies in the disciplines of park planning, urban design and community visioning projects. In February 2020, Michelle was appointed as board member for the City of Richmond Design Review Board.  She holds a B.S in biological sciences from UC Davis, and a Master in Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley with previous work experience in outdoor education and environmental policy work with the Sierra Club.