Richard Valle, the Alameda County supervisor who represents Hayward, Newark and Union City, as well as parts of Fremont and Sunol, has died at 73.
Valle’s fellow supervisors were the first to confirm his death on Wednesday afternoon, reflecting on his decade-long tenure representing District 2 on the county board.
No cause was provided for Valle’s death. The supervisor was battling prostate cancer, according to multiple people who knew him closely, and he had missed a number of meetings and community events over the past year.
Valle was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and attended Chabot College and Cal State East Bay.
The supervisor resided in his hometown, Union City. He leaves behind his wife, Barbara — whom he met when both were students at James Logan High School — and children Monica and Andrew.
Valle was first appointed to the District 2 supervisor seat in 2012 and subsequently won re-election three times, running unopposed last year and in 2018. Before that, he served as a Union City council member from 1997 to 2010.
The founder of one of the state’s largest nonprofit recycling companies, Valle advocated for environmental sustainability and affordable housing. He built strong alliances with labor unions that provided robust funding to his campaigns.
He also touted his frugal fiscal policies at the county, having served on the governing board of St. Rose Hospital in Hayward as it dealt with financial woes.
“During his 10 years of service on the Board of Supervisors, Richard fought for safety-net services (and) mental health programs and was a tireless supporter of Saint Rose Hospital,” Supervisor Nate Miley, the county board chair, said in a statement.
Miley praised the supervisor’s work in helping to put on volunteer appreciation events, promoting walkable neighborhoods in Fremont’s Niles neighborhood and developing STEM programming for local youth.
Valle’s passing marks the second death in two years of an active Alameda County supervisor. Wilma Chan, who represented Alameda, San Leandro and part of Oakland in District 3, was killed in 2021 when she was hit by a car while walking her dog.
As with Chan, the board has 60 days to identify a potential appointment to fill the vacancy left by Valle’s death.
Lena Tam, who was elected last year as Chan’s full-time replacement, said Valle had shared his deep Buddhist faith, and how it had helped him process his battle with cancer.
And despite Valle’s endorsement of Rebecca Kaplan, Tam’s opponent in last year’s election, she said the longtime supervisor made her feel at home on the board.
“He welcomed me and never mentioned (the election),” Tam said in an interview. “He was very strongly committed to his district and the county.”
At large, Valle was a mentor to political newcomers, fostering ties with both younger progressives — and more established Democratic Party-endorsed officials.
The relationships earned him respect across Alameda County’s often-divided political ecosystem. Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife tweeted Wednesday that Valle was “one of the real ones.”
Mark Salinas, the mayor of Hayward, recalled his early-morning meetings with Valle at Emil Villas, a barbecue restaurant in the city, where the supervisor would describe to Salinas how he had “brokered some of the most complicated labor agreements in the county.”
“I learned a lot at our breakfasts, and I will miss his soft voice explaining topics from advancements in science to labor issues to stories about the Mexican American Civil Rights movement,” Salinas said.
A number of local leaders recalled Valle’s commitment to helping the less fortunate.
“He advocated for those whose voices might not have been heard,” Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci said in a statement.
Supervisor Keith Carson, in a statement, said he would miss Valle’s “perspective and thoughtful deliberations” in making decisions for the county.
“His passion for bettering our community was exemplary,” Carson said. “Richard fought for everyone who needed assistance and was a strong supporter of workers … Rest in power, my friend.”
