[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E309-E310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE CRITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF MR. JOHN A. COLEMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2024

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. John A. 
Coleman's leadership and service on the Board of the East Bay Municipal 
Utility District and as Executive Director of the Bay Planning 
Coalition. For his career of public service and leadership, Mr. Coleman 
is receiving the 2024 Lafayette Citizen of the Year Award.
  A lifelong resident of Lafayette, California, Mr. Coleman 
demonstrated his commitment to his community at a young age. Even as a 
high school student, Mr. Coleman believed he could make a positive 
difference in the world. He spearheaded efforts to encourage civic 
participation among his fellow students and founded the Rossmoor 
Gardening Club, which continues to serve the Lafayette community today.
  Mr. Coleman is the longest-serving board member at the East Bay 
Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). For 33 years, Mr. Coleman served as 
an elected Director of EBMUD, representing Lafayette constituents and 
leading efforts to make the Lafayette Reservoir recreation area more 
accessible for the community. His policy guidance on EBMUD's water 
supply and critical leadership as President and Vice-President of the 
Board of Directors well positioned EBMUD to handle future drought and 
climate crisis challenges.
  In addition to Mr. Coleman's vital work with EBMUD, he served as 
Chief Executive Officer of the Bay Planning Coalition, a non-profit 
organization. For 13 years, Mr. Coleman advanced the essential mission 
of the Bay Planning Coalition to ensure that commerce, recreation, and 
the natural environment thrive in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region. 
He is also the only individual in the California water and wastewater 
communities to have served as President of both the Association of 
California Water Agencies and the California Association of Sanitation 
Agencies.
  Mr. Coleman's extensive leadership and service to California ensure 
that he will thrive in his new role as Manager of Natural Resources 
with the Calaveras County Water District. His talent for coalition 
building and critical

[[Page E310]]

knowledge of California's environmental resources will undoubtedly 
continue to enhance the lives of California residents.
  While his presence on the Board of the East Bay Municipal Utility 
District will surely be missed, Mr. Coleman's decades of service 
reflect the very best of our community's leaders and will continue to 
improve the lives of citizens for many years to come. I would like to 
express my sincere gratitude for Mr. Coleman's dedication and 
commitment to public service. I wish him the best in his future role 
with the Calaveras County Water District.

                          ____________________