Byron D. Sher, a pioneering California lawmaker who played a key role in shaping the state’s environmental policy during the 1980s and 1990s, died on September 12 at his ranch near Placerville, California. He was 98.
Sher, who served in both the California State Assembly and Senate during a legislative career spanning nearly a quarter-century, was known for his ability to craft influential environmental legislation through consensus-building and a pragmatic approach. His work helped establish California as a national leader in environmental regulation.
Born February 7, 1928, in St. Louis, Sher graduated from Washington University in St. Louis before earning his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1952. He joined Stanford Law School’s faculty in 1957, where he taught for over three decades. Sher’s interest in public service grew through local politics in Palo Alto, where he was elected to the city council in 1965, serving two terms as mayor before winning election to the state legislature in 1980.
During his 16 years as a member of the Assembly and subsequent eight years in the State Senate, Sher authored a number of landmark environmental statutes. Among these were the California Clean Air Act of 1988, which aimed to steadily reduce smog statewide, and amendments to the California Safe Drinking Water Act in 1989 that strengthened pollution controls. He also wrote laws mandating waste reduction and recycling programs, as well as measures to protect sensitive ecosystems, such as prohibiting dam construction on sections of the McCloud River to preserve trout and salmon habitats.
Notably, Sher was the first California legislator to incorporate the term “global warming” into state law. In 1989, Republican Governor George Deukmejian signed Sher’s bill requiring the state to study the impact of climate change, reflecting early bipartisan recognition of the issue.
Sher was widely regarded as a knowledgeable and deliberate lawmaker who sought to accommodate the concerns of industry and environmental advocates alike. Colleagues and observers praised his meticulous preparation and ability to build consensus without resorting to confrontation. “You cannot ignore industry concerns,” Sher said in 1988, underscoring his collaborative approach.
After leaving the legislature in 2004 due to term limits, Sher continued his environmental advocacy up close by managing a pear orchard in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The California Environmental Protection Agency honored his legacy by naming its meeting hall the Byron Sher Auditorium.
He is survived by his three children, five grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. His wife, Linda Bowser Sher, who was instrumental in his early campaigns, died in 2014. Sher’s contributions to California’s environmental landscape remain influential decades after his legislative tenure.