Alameda County Administrator Susan S. Muranishi, the woman behind the curtain of the county’s government, was center stage on Monday for one of the few times in her career as the Alameda County Administration Building was renamed in recognition of 30 years of budgets, service contracts and 2 a.m. emails to department heads.
Muranishi joins a list of Alameda County’s most famous citizens who’ve had their names etched into the community’s public spaces — Jack London Square on Oakland’s waterfront, Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland, and Rickey Henderson Field at Oakland Technical High School.
Now, the “Susan S. Muranishi Alameda County Administration Building” will be a symbol of her historic contributions.
“County administrators pride themselves on never being surprised. So I want to thank Supervisor (Keith) Carson, who surprised many of us by bringing a resolution forward to rename this building,” Muranishi said at a news conference outside of the eponymous administration building. “It’s an understatement to say that I’m humbled and deeply honored to find myself in a situation that I never imagined would happen.”
More than 100 former employees, county officials and current staff, ranging from long-retired County Administration Office personnel to leaders like former Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, gathered outside of the administration building Monday morning. Muranishi stood out from the grayscale suits and dresses as she passed through throngs of people wearing pink heels and a sequined sports jacket.
Born in Berkeley as the daughter of interned Japanese Americans during World War II, Muranishi attributed her work ethic to her parents.
Both had been public servants, she said, adding that she would not have been at the county without her father, who was an engineer and worked in environmental health. In 1995, Muranishi became the first Asian-American woman to serve as an administrative officer in the country.
“This county is what it is in large part due to her,” O’Malley said. “The Board of Supervisors are the elected people, but she’s the county administrator. This county has always come out with a AAA rating in the financials, excellent departments that all get awards, and that’s because she’s done such an amazing job.”
Muranishi is the highest-paid county administrator in the state making $919,681 in 2023 in total pay and benefits, according to Transparent California. She is worth every penny for Alameda Supervisor Keith Carson, who led the effort to rename the building after Muranishi.
He recalled returning from China with Muranishi in March 2020. COVID-19 was infecting hundreds of thousands across the globe, and Muranishi would be responsible for shutting down the entire county.
Urgent calls to department heads, private sector leaders and the federal government occurred at lightning speed to limit the loss of life in Alameda County. That period of time, he said, was the most impactful period of his collaboration with Muranishi.
During her speech on Monday, Muranishi said she had spent more time in the administrative building than with her own family. She described her daily commute walking from Alco Park Garage, observing the growth of county employees and the county over the past 30 years.
True to form, Muranishi hoped that the administration building that bears her name would be a symbol of the work to come and inspire future generations.
“I cannot help but think about the many, intense deliberations, robust discussions and significant decisions made in this building over the years, including during natural disasters and 9/11 through the Great Recession and through the pandemic,” Muranishi said. “Decisions that have established Alameda County as a progressive, innovative, visionary, inclusive, fiscally sound and sustainable county committed to ensuring that all of our residents and communities have access to services and opportunities to thrive.”
