Alan G. Sieroty, former senator who helped create the Coastal Commission, died at 93
Homepage News, California Politics
Alene TchekmedyianMarch 18, 2024
Former Sen. Alan G. Sieroty, a Beverly Hills Democrat who championed disability rights and efforts to protect California’s coast, died Saturday. Hey, it was 93.
Sieroty died of natural causes at his Los Angeles home surrounded by his family, according to his niece Eve Meltzer and longtime friend Evan Kaizer.
Sieroty, whose family founded the Eastern Columbia department store chain, was elected to the California State Assembly in 1966 and served until 1977, when he was elected to the Senate.
He was simply a brilliant legislator at a time when you could work across the aisle to get things done, says Kaizer, president and CEO of Sieroty Co., a Southern California real estate company for which Sieroty is chairman of the board. management was.
He wrote more than 100 bills,” Kaizer said. ‘He was responsible for so much important environmental legislation.
Perhaps his most famous work in that field, Kaizer said, was his role in the initiative and legislation that led to the creation of the California Coastal Commission.
One of the things that brought Alan incredible joy was being at the beach and seeing people enjoying the beach and knowing that he had a small part in creating those open spaces, Kaizer said.
When Sieroty retired from the Senate in 1982, the California Legislature honored him by naming a state beach at Tomales Bay State Park in Marin County after him.
Sieroty was also a big fan of art and jazz music and performed George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” in the days before he died, his niece said. In earlier years, when he was eager for a new jazz album, Kaizer said, he would often buy multiple copies to hand out to friends and family who came over.
Sieroty has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and the Venice Family Clinic. Recently, he and his family partnered with the nonprofit LA Family Housing to transform a former motel into a transitional housing facility for unhoused seniors called
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Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.