Yesterday, California lost one of its environmental heroes.  Our friends at the Environmental Defense Fund have posted a moving tribute to Tom Graff here.  Tom was a leading advocate on California water issues for more than three decades.  He was a champion for the Bay-Delta ecosystem and particularly for market-based solutions to address our environmental and water supply problems. Tom showed that sound economic policy can make sound environmental policy.  But Tom was far more than that.  For a generation of activists in California, including myself, Tom was a friend and a generous mentor.  He had a unique combination of unusual strategic insight, an impish sense of humor, and a gift for putting together unusual collaborations.  Tom’s skills, personality and style of advocacy also made him immensely likeable.  Even those who routinely disagreed with Tom respected him – and couldn’t help liking him.  I can recall more than one challenging water meeting at which I found myself looking at him and asking myself -- “What’s Tom thinking? What’s he going to do here?”  You could always count on Tom for the unexpected.  

Issues like water, transportation and climate change are not just environmental problems.  They are challenges facing our economy and our society.  Solving such problems requires pioneers who can lead the way to new solutions.  Tom was one of those leaders – and the path he blazed will continue to lead California to solutions after his passing.