John Mercurio has dedicated his career and volunteer service to improving parks, trails, open space, and public access throughout Contra Costa County and the East Bay. A lifelong East Bay resident, John was raised in Concord and has spent decades working to preserve the region’s natural beauty while helping communities enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly.

John brings unmatched experience to the East Bay Regional Park District Board.

Before being elected to the Board, John served for ten years as a Concord Planning Commissioner, where he helped guide major community planning efforts including the Concord Naval Weapons Station reuse plan, climate action planning, development standards, and Complete Streets policies.

He also served on the Concord Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission, the Concord Trails Advisory Group, the Iron Horse Corridor Advisory Committee, and the East Bay Regional Park District Park Advisory Committee, where he served as Vice Chair.

John’s trail and recreation expertise extends statewide. He was appointed by three governors to the California Recreational Trails Committee where he served for 12 years and helped guide the development of California’s Recreational Trails Plan. He has chaired the California Recreational Trails Program Advisory Board for ten years while supporting millions of dollars in trail funding throughout the state.

Professionally, John worked for the Contra Costa County Administrator’s Office, where he oversaw budgeting for several county departments. At Central Contra Costa Sanitary District, he was responsible for the preparation and monitoring of the annual Ten-Year Capital Improvement Plan. All told, John has 20  years of budgeting experience in the public sector. He has continued this service by serving for the last three years on the East Bay Regional Park District Board Finance Committee.

John holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal State Hayward and has spent years honing his leadership and communication skills through public service and community involvement.

Today, John continues to bring a thoughtful, approachable, and collaborative leadership style to the Park District Board. Constituents know him as someone who listens, responds, and works hard to solve problems while keeping the public’s interests first.