A critical section of Bay Trail running past Golden Gate Fields was opened this past June linking Berkeley and Richmond. This wildly popular segment is useful for both recreational and commuter cyclists.
But not everyone was happy about this path. Back in 2013, Norman Laforce filed a lawsuit against the EB Regional Park District over the EIR for the project.
This was hardly the first time Laforce had battled the park district. I first heard about Laforce in 1995, when he tried blocking construction of another Bay Trail segment. He has a long history of filing frivolous lawsuits and trying to prevent the public from accessing their public parks. His world view is that parks are to be fenced off from the public. He has tried to remove kiteboarders and dogs from Albany Beach, prohibit cyclists from riding on fire roads, and even opposed the Berkeley High girls crew team from rowing in the Aquatic Park lagoon.
Laforce is now running for a seat on the EBRPD Board of Directors. Hilariously, his website features a picture of him with his dog on a trail, and talks about the importance of improving park access to “urban youth”. If you live in EBRPD Ward 1 (Berkeley/Richmond area), it is critical that you vote for his opponent, Elizabeth Echols.
Systemic Failure 
Norman La Force has sued the Park District many times. In addition to his lawsuit to prevent the extension of the trail at Albany beach that you describe, he has also sued the Park District to force them to destroy ALL non-native trees on 3,500 acres of parkland rather than thin the trees, as the Park District is doing. Those lawsuits are described and are available here: https://milliontrees.me/2020/09/29/on-november-3rd-vote-for-a-friend-of-the-east-bay-parks/
Norman La Force has also sued the City of Richmond several times. Tom Butt, Mayor of Richmond describes those lawsuits in his endorsement of Elizabeth Echols for the seat on the Board of the Park District to represent Richmond and other East Bay cities. Mayor Butt describes La Force’s harassment here: http://www.tombutt.com/forum/2020/20-9-30.html
Norman La Force is a thorn is EVERYONE’S side. Please don’t inflict him on the Board of East Bay Regional Park District. Vote for Elizabeth Echols.