It is operated by East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD), under a cooperative agreement with the State of California and the City of Alameda.

The Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary, at the east end of the beach, is currently undergoing restoration and is closed to visitors until this work is completed.

[2] From the 1880s until the U.S. entry into World War II in December, 1941, the area around the visitor center was part of Neptune Beach, an amusement park and resort community that featured bathing spas and waterfront houses.

The park was subsequently known as "Alameda Memorial Beach" until it was renamed for a local politician, Assemblyman Robert W. Crown (1922 – 1973) who was struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing the street.

[4] In 2015, EBRPD agreed to buy 3 acres (0.012 km2) of land on McKay Avenue that had once housed a U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) facility.

Attempting to expedite the sale, the U.S. Government sued the State of California and the park district in an eminent domain action in 2014.

Visitors are allowed to bring dogs onto lawns and paved pathways, but must be under owner's control at all times and on a leash (maximum length 6 feet (1.8 m)).