Santa Clara County leaders today recognized and lauded the legacy of former County Supervisor and “father of modern transit” in Silicon Valley, Rod Diridon Sr., who passed away on April 3 at age 87.
“Rod was a giant in our region and a public servant whose vision has forever changed the way we move, connect, breathe and live,” said Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, who now serves the District 4 area that Diridon represented for 20 years starting in the 1970s.
At a commendation ceremony at the April 14 Board of Supervisors meeting, Ellenberg and her colleagues said Diridon will be always remembered for his mentorship and willingness to help others advance and succeed in their highest goals.
“Rod had the rare ability to guide with both conviction and kindness, always lifting others while working tirelessly to improve the lives of everyone around him,” said Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee. “He had an unwavering commitment that left an indelible mark on me.”
Supervisor Sylvia Arenas described Diridon as “energetic and very humble even though he had a long list of accomplishments, and just really service oriented,” and that he had relentlessly cajoled her to join the Rotary Club – where he was known as their most prolific recruiter, bringing in hundreds of new members (and sometimes paying their membership) over the years.
Diridon is most famously known for his work in transit, notably leading the effort to pass the first half-cent transit tax and the creation of the VTA light rail.
He continued endeavors to advance efficient transit systems later in life through the Mineta Transportation Institute, and his son Rod Diridon Jr. said that even as his father fought a spreading infection in his final days, he was “on message to the end,” lecturing family members at the hospital on climate change and high-speed rail.
Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga said Diridon’s vision was regional, going beyond county boundaries and served as inspiration for her to get involved in transportation. She has sat on several transportation agency boards, including the Valley Transit Authority (VTA), Caltrain and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
“He poured every bit of his time and energy into bringing transit to everyone because he understood the importance of connecting the region,” Abe-Koga said. She said he was also a great environmentalist and a champion of creating parkland.
Diridon Jr. said his father was proud of county accomplishments in “parks, street trails, civil rights and gay rights, health care, public safety. […] He loved being in the body politic.” He said his father had hosted so many fundraising barbecues that he had “firefighter chili running through his veins.”
Diridon’s wife Gloria called him “the best sweetheart, partner, pal, fellow adventurer, co-conspirator and supporter you can imagine.” She recounted a Siskiyou County battle that Diridon was involved in after Nestlé moved to buy water rights to the McCloud River to use it as a bottled water source in the late 2000s.
She said her husband contacted then-Attorney General Jerry Brown, who in turn let Siskiyou County know they’d have a state lawsuit on their hands if they moved forward without conducting an Environmental Impact Review. Ultimately, Nestlé abandoned the project in 2009.
Supervisor Betty Duong said that, in addition to his transit leadership, Diridon was part of the board that voted to receive refugees from Vietnam, for which her family and community is forever grateful. She also noted that he “worked every day to keep our hospital when counties across the state were closing down hospitals in the wake of Prop. 13.”
But she said his commitment to mentoring the next generation of leaders defined his character.
“Santa Clara County lost a giant,” Duong said, “but his life provides a blueprint for how we must continue to serve our residents during the toughest times and greatest challenges.”
