Matthew Weinberg

1934 - 2021

Matthew B. Weinberg
January 24, 1934 - June 26, 2021
Matthew Basil Weinberg passed away late in the evening on Saturday, June 26, 2021 in San Francisco. Matthew was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 24, 1934 to Irving and Blanche Weinberg. After graduating from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, Matthew went on to earn an AB, cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1955 and a JD from Harvard Law School in 1960. His law school years were interrupted during his service as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. Salem stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. A prolific debater, Matthew received the Daniel Webster Debate Award from Dartmouth College, the Class of 1866 Oratorical Prize from Dartmouth College, and the Williston Competition prize from Harvard Law School.

Following law school, Matthew moved to Los Angeles where he was Deputy Attorney General for the State of California and Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County. He then moved to Sacramento to serve as Special Counsel to Governor Pat Brown, which included campaigning across the state with Governor Brown during Brown's successful 1962 re-election campaign against former Vice President Richard Nixon.

In 1964, Matthew moved to San Francisco to enter private practice. He eventually established his own law firm, the Matthew B. Weinberg Professional Corporation. Matthew retired in 2010. During his nearly 50-year career in the law, he prevailed in every case that he took to trial, including the landmark victory in People of Berkeley v. Bay Area Rapid Transit, a case that forced the BART tracks underground at the Ashby Street Station in order to avoid creating a physical barrier in an increasingly segregated Berkeley. After 25 years as a trial lawyer, and at the urging of family, Matthew pivoted to a transactional practice, specializing in health care and real estate law.

Matthew was active in the Jewish community in San Francisco and nationally, serving as Chairman of the JCRC of San Francisco, President of the American Friends of Hebrew University (Northern California Chapter), Chairman of Israel Bonds in San Francisco, President of the Young Adults Division of the Jewish Federation, and on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Home for the Aged.

Matthew met Barbara Kovitz at a Young Adults Division event in 1969. They married in 1972 at a ceremony held at the Concordia Argonaut Club in San Francisco and remained happily married for 48 and a half years. In addition to Barbara, Matthew is survived by his two sons Mark (of Los Angeles) and Daniel (of San Francisco), Daniel's wife, Elana, and his four granddaughters, Leia, Hannah, Audrey and Sasha. When not spending time with his family, Matthew loved to travel the globe with Barbara, ski big mountains, cheer on the Giants, 49ers and Warriors, and overlook his Napa vineyard where he grew, harvested, pressed and bottled his own Cabernet Sauvignon.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco or the San Francisco Opera.