Not content to just identify problems, Margaret Azevedo was always one of the few who solved them. Ms. Azevedo moved to Marin County in 1951 and became involved with the local Democratic Party, where she chaired the successful campaign for reelection of Vera Schultz to the Board of Supervisors in 1956. Shortly thereafter, she was appointed to the Marin County Planning Commission, where she served almost continuously until 1979.

Her early experiences on the Planning Commission prompted her to spearhead a drive to develop a Countywide Plan. This plan, the first of its kind in the state, defined corridors of land use in the county – inland, agricultural and urban. She worked during the 1960s and 1970s to conserve the coast of Marin as a founding member of the Point Reyes National Seashore. In this capacity she helped to preserve the inland agricultural areas through the creation of Agricultural Preserves in central and west Marin, enhanced the urban corridor with open space zoning and greenbelts, and expanded public transportation and programs for affordable housing. As chair of the Transportation Committee of the Marin Council of Civic Affairs, she played a pivotal role in the drive to bring public transportation to Marin. Ms. Azevedo also served the community as a member of the State Coastal Conservancy.