[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 27, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO RETIRING CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMAN BYRON SHER

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 27, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
distinguished assemblyman of the 21st assembly district of California, 
Mr. Byron Sher. He represents a number of communities in San Mateo 
County and my Congressional District does overlap some of the areas in 
his State assembly district. We have worked together on many issues for 
the people of San Mateo County.
  This coming weekend, the San Mateo County Democratic Party will 
salute Byron Sher at a special appreciation dinner held to recognize 
the service he has rendered to the people of California. After a 
successful career in the California Assembly, Byron Sher will retire at 
the end of this legislative session. He will have completed his eighth 
term in the assembly and is not permitted to run again because of term 
limitations.
  Byron has based his long and productive political career upon the 
strong foundations of a distinguished academic career. After an 
ambitious undergraduate career, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from 
Harvard Law School in 1952. Byron went on to teaching positions at some 
of the leading law schools around the country, including Southern 
Methodist, University of Southern California and Harvard Law School. 
Currently, he is an emeritus professor of law at Stanford University in 
Palo Alto, CA.
  Byron has been active in local and regional government since he came 
to Palo Alto in 1957. In this time, he has repeatedly shown his 
commitment to the community. He was a member of the Palo Alto City 
Council for 9 years and served two terms as mayor. For many years, 
Byron has given time to local, State, and national environmental 
boards.
  As a member of the California State Legislature, Byron has many 
notable achievements. He is the author of landmark laws to protect 
California's environment, including the California Clean Air Act, the 
Integrated Waste Management Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the 
nation's first law to prevent toxic contamination from leaking 
underground storage tanks. He is consistently rated among the top 
legislators by the most respected environmental, consumer, law 
enforcement, education and housing groups. I applaud his conscientious 
hard work on the part of our community and California.
   Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
Byron Sher as he completes a record of distinguished service in the 
California State Assembly. The people of San Mateo County and the 
people of California have been well served by his leadership and 
advocacy in the State assembly.

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