Byron Sher, a three-decade professor at the Stanford Law School and California state legislator, passed away at his beloved pear orchard in Placerville, California, on Sept. 12 at 98. Sher is best known for his work as a state senator and assemblymember, authoring landmark environmental legislation like the California Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Sher was born on Feb. 7, 1928 in St. Louis. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1949 with a degree in finance and later received his law degree in 1952 from Harvard Law, where he ranked second in his class. He joined the Stanford Law faculty in 1957 after teaching at Harvard Law, Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the University of Southern California (USC).
Amid local debates surrounding the proposed Oregon Expressway, Sher became involved in politics in the early 1960s. He was elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 1965, where he served as mayor for two terms. Later, he served on the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
In 1980, he was elected to the California State Assembly, where he chaired the Criminal Law and Public Safety (1983-1984) and Natural Resources (1980-1995) committees. He was elected to the California State Senate in 1996, where he chaired the Housing (1996) and Environmental Quality (1997-2004) committees.
Sher authored major California environmental laws, including the California Clean Air Act, the Integrated Waste Management Act, the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. He authored the nation’s first e-waste recycling mandates, laws preventing leaking underground storage tanks, timber regulation reforms and wild river restorations. He also guarded the intent of the 1970 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) signed by Governor Ronald Reagan.
In 1988, he authored legislation requiring California to take stock of sources of greenhouse gases, the first time a state law included the term “global warming.”
“The heat is on. The state can either ignore what science is telling us, or we can respond to this challenge in a responsible way,” Sher told the Sacramento Bee in 1989.
“While humble by nature, Sen. Sher was a towering environmental figure,” Yana Garcia, California secretary for environmental protection, wrote in a statement. “His legacy includes protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink and the natural resources we all cherish. He will be deeply missed.”
Upon his retirement, Sher was appointed to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy board and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency governing board. He later served on the Planning and Conservation League board and consulted for Bloom Energy. He managed a historic Placerville orchard, which delivered 550 tons of Bosc and Bartlett pears in a single harvest.
Sher’s wife of over 50 years, Linda Sher, passed away in 2014. He is also preceded in death by his siblings, Helen Shopmaker and Donald Sher, and his parents, Louis Sher and Jeannette Sher. He is survived by his children Adrienne, Benjamin and Katherine Sher; grandchildren Sarah Burke, Edek Sher, Nathaniel Sher, Dinah Sher Gongora and Noe Gongora; and great-granddaughter Echo Moncrieff.
His family requests memorial contributions to the International Rescue Committee instead of flowers.