SAN FRANCISCO – Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department for the past decade, will bring his expertise to the state park system as well.
Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Ginsburg, 52, to the California State Park and Recreation Commission, the governor’s office announced Tuesday afternoon. Ginsburg will continue to lead SF Rec and Parks, a position he has held since 2009.
The California State Park and Recreation Commission is responsible for approving plans and establishing policies of state parks; guiding the director of state parks in the administration, protection, and development of California’s park system; and recommending a comprehensive recreation policy for the state.
“I am honored by the Governor’s nomination. I pledge to use my decade of experience running San Francisco’s world class urban park system to support our amazing state parks with a focus on stewardship, equity and access,” Ginsburg said.
Under Ginsburg’s leadership, San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. where 100 percent of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. During his tenure, San Francisco has consistently ranked one of the nation’s top five park systems. He has led his organization through transformational improvements to the public realm and made equity and increasing access to public recreation and to nature, the department’s primary objective. He has built a financially sustainable model for San Francisco’s park system through ballot advocacy, the strategic use of public-private partnerships and philanthropy, creative revenue strategies, technology and administrative efficiencies. With more than 4,100 acres and over 220 parks under its jurisdiction, the Recreation and Park Department stewards some of the most spectacular public spaces in the world, including Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower and the Palace of Fine Arts.
Prior to SF Rec and Parks, Ginsburg served as chief of staff in the Office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom from 2006 to 2008, director of the San Francisco Department of Human Resources from 2004 to 2006 and deputy city attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office from 2000 to 2004. Ginsburg was an associate and partner at Carroll, Burdick and McDonough from 1993 to 2000. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. The California State Parks and Recreation Commission position requires Senate confirmation.