Steve Rabinowitsh - Community Hero

Nominated by

Denny Bozman-Moss

Presented by

Chris Rogers, City Council Member

About

Anyone who has been in Santa Rosa for a while has benefitted from Steve's volunteer work and passion for preserving open space, providing us with a way to experience nature in all its beauty. Steve has spent over 30 years preserving open space in Sonoma County, including helping to establish the Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space District.

While on the Santa Rosa City Council from 1998-2006, Steve spearheaded the drive to create the 1.3-mile Prince Memorial Greenway, an urban trail on both sides of Santa Rosa Creek in downtown Santa Rosa. As stated in his nomination, the Greenway "may not have happened if not for Steve."

In addition, Steve has also been integral to the Southeast Greenway project and has worked for many years to achieve that reality and continues to further its creation. The Greenway is also at the heart of the bikeway system, linking Santa Rosa Creek to the Joe Rodota Trail and the SMART bike path. Steve says, "I believe open space is vital for our physical and mental health."

Steve's son Jackson was photo’d on the cover of the Creek Dreams Revealed "idea book." This book was Steve's inspiration for the Prince Memorial Greenway and Citywide creek restoration efforts. Steve's son, Jackson, is 38 and was five years old when that photo was taken.