Byron Sher, the Stanford University law professor who transitioned from a local zoning dispute in Palo Alto to become the architect of California’s modern environmental legal framework, has died. He was 98.
Known for his affable demeanor and quiet efficacy, Sher passed away Saturday of natural causes at his home on a pear and apple ranch in the Sierra foothills near Placerville.
Over a legislative career spanning from 1980 to 2004—including 16 years in the state Assembly and eight in the state Senate—Sher authored dozens of landmark laws that established California as a global leader in environmental policy. Colleagues and observers have described him as the “godfather” of California environmental law, a legislator whose work physically reshaped the state’s protection of its air, water, and forests.
“Byron Sher is the godfather of modern California environmental law,” said Ann Notthoff, a member of the California Coastal Commission who worked for the Natural Resources Defense Council for nearly four decades. “He had a huge impact on our land, our water and the oceans, and climate and forests.”
Sher’s legislative portfolio reads like a history of California’s environmental movement. In 1987, he authored the California Clean Air Act. In 1989, he introduced the Safe Drinking Water Act. His work also spanned industrial oversight, such as his 1983 measure that facilitated the cleanup of over 10,000 leaking underground gasoline and chemical storage tanks throughout Silicon Valley. He pioneered the state’s first statewide curbside recycling mandate, established early regulations for electronic waste, and in 2003, introduced the state’s first mandates requiring utilities to produce renewable energy.
Perhaps his most celebrated achievement was the 1999 deal—struck alongside former Sen. Dianne Feinstein—to preserve the Headwaters Forest in Humboldt County. The agreement saved thousands of acres of 2,000-year-old, 300-foot-tall redwoods from being logged to cover corporate debt, a move that permanently protected a vital ecosystem.
Sher’s path to the Legislature began in the 1960s. A professor of contract and consumer law at Stanford, he entered politics after a battle over the proposed widening of Oregon Avenue in Palo Alto, which threatened to displace over 100 homes. His success in that local skirmish led to a seat on the Palo Alto City Council, where he developed a reputation as a proponent of slow-growth and conservation policies.
Even in his later years, Sher maintained his focus on the intersection of ecology and policy. He was the first California lawmaker to codify the phrase “global warming” into legislation, doing so in 1988 to mandate the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions.
State Sen. John Laird of Santa Cruz called Sher the “North Star” for environmental legislators, noting that his influence transcended political partisanship. Throughout his career, Sher successfully navigated the Capitol to secure signatures from governors ranging from Republicans George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Democrats Jerry Brown and Gray Davis.
“The wonderful environmental assets that we have in California are also important to our economy,” Sher remarked in a 2010 interview. “The states that have the strongest environmental laws have the strongest economies. It has been demonstrated over and over again.”
After reaching his term limit in 2004, Sher continued his service on the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. His legacy remains etched into the landscape of the state, from the preserved foothills of the Bay Area to the ancient redwoods of the North Coast.
“I don’t think it’s overstating it to say Byron was the single most important legislator on natural resources and the environment in California history,” said Kip Lipper, his former chief of staff. “It’s not so much in a book or a website somewhere. It’s in the branches of the North Coast redwoods, the tidepools along the coast, the cleaner air people breathe and the water they drink.”
Sher is survived by his three children, five grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. In accordance with his wishes, no memorial service is planned. His family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the International Rescue Committee.
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