In Memory of Tom Graff
November 12, 2009 | Posted by Spreck Rosekrans in legacies
All of us at the Environmental Defense Fund mourn the passing of Tom Graff, our leader in California for more than 35 years. A public celebration of his life will take place in about a month.
The following account of Tom’s professional life was written by longtime friend and colleague Tom Philp. Readers are invited to share memories of Tom in the comment space below.
Thomas J. Graff
Thomas J. Graff, a Harvard-educated attorney whom California Lawyer once dubbed “The Godfather” for transforming the politics and policies of California water and power through a unique style of litigation and persuasion via his Rolodex of trusted inside connections, has died after a prolonged battle with cancer. Graff was 65.
Graff in 1971 founded the California office of the Environmental Defense Fund. There, he pioneered a new style of environmental activism by hiring PhD economists and computer specialists who developed a mastery of energy and water issues that would rival their many adversaries. Whether by using the courts, regulatory proceedings, legislation or public opinion via national media contacts that he assembled over the years, Graff advanced EDF’s trademark philosophy that embraced a positive role for markets in solving environmental problems.
“If a resource is scarce, we ought to put a price on it that reflects its value,” Graff said in an interview last year. “Otherwise there’s an incentive to over-consume the resource.”
“Tom was the thought leader of a new wave of environmentalism that uses market incentives to solve some of the most intractable environmental problems.” Fred Krupp, president of EDF.
Graff is survived by his loving wife, Sharona Barzilay, daughter Rebecca Graff; son Benjamin Graff; daughter Samantha Graff, son-in-law Miguel Helft, and grandchildren Avi and Rafael Helft, and sister Claudia Bial and her family.
Graff was born in Honduras in January of 1944, the son of German Jewish refugees. He grew up in Syracuse, New York, where he excelled at both academics and athletics even before attending Phillips Exeter Academy. He graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was a clerk for federal judge Carl McGowan in Washington D.C. and a legislative assistant to New York Mayor John Lindsay before moving in 1970 to California to work for Howard, Prim, Smith, Rice & Downs, a San Francisco law firm.
Graff later would confide that his father wondered if he was “making a big mistake” by leaving a private law practice and launching the California office for the Environmental Defense Fund. But it would not take long for Graff to begin leaving his mark on state resource policy.
Graff laid the groundwork in the 1970s for California to become a world leader in battling climate change by reducing carbon emissions. Concerned about plans of the state’s largest investor-owned utilities to construct a fleet of coal-burning power plants, Graff took on the utilities by challenging rate proposals before the California Public Utilities Commission. This stiff resistance prompted the utilities to abandon coal as a major source of baseline power for California. Years later, in 2006, Graff and EDF were at the center of the effort to pass landmark state legislation (Assembly Bill 32) that would require California by 2020 to cap its total greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels.
But it was California water, from upstream battles on the American River to numerous conflicts in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where Graff arguably left his greatest mark on state and federal politics.
With Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey and Congressman George Miller of Martinez, Graff was a guiding force behind the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1991, a milestone in the environmental movement to protect the Delta.
In terms of policy, the CVPIA established a new accounting system to ensure additional water for the environmental needs of the Delta from the Central Valley Project, which captures water upstream of the Delta via Shasta and Folsom dams and diverts the supplies from the Delta to Central Valley farms and communities via an aqueduct system. The CVPIA also established important ground rules for a “water market” so that the dam and aqueduct system could be used to connect buyers and sellers of water. Graff’s hope was to encourage farmers to both conserve and sell supplies to cities as a more efficient, environmentally-friendly approach to securing new supplies rather than additional, costly reservoir construction.
But in terms of politics, the CVPIA represented a new alliance in political power between the environmental movement and the urban water community, particularly the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Both supported the CVPIA and the concept of water markets.
The CVPIA was staunchly opposed by Central Valley agriculture and would have likely been vetoed by then-president George Herbert Walker Bush had it been a stand-alone bill. But Graff and its authors maneuvered the CVPIA into a broader piece of legislation that was known to be popular with the president, assuring its package. It was one of many moves that develop Graff’s mystique as a master of both politics and policy.
Closer to home in Alameda County, Graff fought his own water provider, the East Bay Municipal Utility District. With its primary supply from the Sierra Nevada’s Mokelumne River, EBMUD had sought a second source above Sacramento from the American River, known for its crystal blue water and abundant fall salmon run. Concerned for the health of the river, Environmental Defense Fund filed suit against EBMUD. Seventeen years later, a landmark decision would designate a baseline environmental flow need for the American River that stands to this day as a benchmark in river policy.
The utility eventually abandoned its effort to divert water upstream on the American River and is now in the final stages of constructing a diversion facility downstream on the Sacramento River with Sacramento County, which along with Environmental Defense Fund had fought EBMUD for years.
Graff spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sacramento River diversion facility in May of 2007, battling at the time a scratchy throat condition that would later be diagnosed as cancer. In that year he was awarded the Jean Auer Award for a lifetime of service to protecting the Delta, among his many honors. An endowed professorship is in his honor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he had been a guest lecturer.
The years of activism taught Graff that it wasn’t necessarily about winning wars, but avoiding them. “We can not repeat the water wars of the past,” he said in an interview last year. “We have to find a way to work together, or we’ll all lose.”
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Other words of tribute to Tom:
“Without Tom Graff, whose good sense and judgment guided its path, there never would have been a major reform of California’s water law in 1992, the Central Valley Improvement Act. He was also a personal friend and a very special human being.”
Senator Bill Bradley
“On the Central Valley Improvement Act, no person was more important than Tom Graff. It wasn’t just his knowledge of water. It was his knowledge about the stewardship of the environment and what this state had to consider if it really thought about its future.”
Congressman George Miller
“Tom Graff was the architect of the best aspects of California water policy. I hope that his vision on that water policy becomes reality as part of his legacy.”
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
21 Responses
Comment from adamcstern
November 12th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
When I was deputy director for EDF in New York, I used to come out to California once a year to visit the Oakland office. On one visit in the early 1990s, I remember that Tom Graff’s office was stacked with papers and reports piled high on his desk, bookcase, and the floor. His office looked like it was ready for an archeological dig with each segment of papers representing an era of water policy debates in California.
Tom was standing in the middle of the paper piles in running shorts and a t-shirt (having just returned from a run in the Berkeley hills) with a grin on his face. I asked him what was happening. Looking like Harry Truman on the day after the 1948 election, Tom held up a copy of the Los Angeles Times. That day the Times had written an editorial supporting a state-wide water plan. Tom wasn’t quoted in the piece, but a knowledgeable reader could see his fingerprints all over the proposal.
That was how Tom worked: he could draw on his vast knowledge of California’s water policies and get a solution-oriented plan in the hands of people who influenced opinion across the state. I left Tom’s office with the feeling that I had been in the presence of a Master Builder – someone who behind the scenes could devise ways for the state to deliver enough water to farmers and city dwellers, while protecting the land and endangered species for generations to come.
Comment from Peter Black
November 12th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Tom was a geniune environmental hero who set a fine example for us younger EDF employees. It was an honor to work in the office as him, to hear him talk at staff meetings, and he often gave me sage advice while working on various projects. Rest in peace Tom, and my thoughts and prayers are with the entire Graff family.
Comment from jenc44
November 12th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Tom leaves the world a better place for his having been in it.
It's evident from the fond expressions on the faces of all who encountered him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTyDtoQJutI
Comment from paulbartkiewicz
November 12th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
what an extraordinary man Tom was! I enjoyed working with him over the years on water transfer and other issues. He was a brilliant, wise, honest, creative problem-solver. He was kind enough to be a sounding board for me from time to time on approaches to resolving various legislative and policy issues. And he was fun to be with. I have a very fond memory of running into him by chance at an Oakland A's game years ago, and enjoying a hot dog and a beer together as we watched a few innings. He will be sorely missed. We should all remember him as an example of how to conduct ourselves for the public good.
Comment from marthadavis
November 12th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I first met Tom on a muggy late afternoon in Takoma Park, MD, where he was sitting on David Weiman's front porch drinking beer and talking water policy. We ranged all over the water landscape, finally landing on Mono Lake and how we could work together to develop replacement water supply options to help Los Angeles get to the right answer. I treasure that conversation and the deades of friendship and collaboration that followed. Thank you, Tom, for helping to shape Mono Lake's victory and for all the other marvelous work you did on behalf of the environment. I will never forget the twinkle in your eyes as you mapped out political strategy or the profound wisdom of your advice. My love goes out to Sharona and the entire Graff family.
Comment from tquinn
November 12th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I was a young economist newly hired by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California when I first met Tom Graff in early 1986. Tom had heard that MWD was seeking to move in a different direction and had hired an economist to help it get there. He called Carl Boronkay, the MWD general manager at the time, and asked to come down to LA to discuss areas in which MWD and EDF could cooperate.
That initial meeting said a lot about Tom and the organization in which he played an integral part. Here was the most renowned environmentalist in the state, wanting to partner with the most powerful, and not always well liked, water agency in the state. We formed that first partnership around an area of mutual interest – protecting groundwater basins from contamination at the source. It was a partnership most notable for the relationships it established, and I think Tom knew it.
Tom was tough. It’s not that he was reluctant to criticize MWD and the water industry. He was full of criticism, especially of MWD. But he also understood that the solutions to the complex water problems facing California required collaboration. We continue to walk down the path forged by Tom today.
Tom was also politically shrewd. With the Bay-Delta Accord hanging in the balance, then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt called Tom on December 14, 1994, and asked whether Tom would support the deal in the media and elsewhere. Because Tom had positioned his organization so well, the deal would probably be dead without EDF. Even though Tom’s dear friend and EDF colleague, the late John Krautkramer, had negotiated the accord, we all knew Tom was weighing the political options. He supported the accord, and it stabilized our world for about a decade.
Tom was a friend. More than a professional relationship was born in 1986; a friendship was kindled as well. As much as we disagreed over the years, Tom was the consummate professional; the seasoned political strategist at countless meetings, negotiations, conferences and other events. You don’t replace a Tom Graff; you just miss him.
Tim Quinn
Association of California Water Agencies
Comment from davidbolling
November 12th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
An hour with Tom was worth more than a semester in graduate school. He had the rarest combination of mastered skills – an encyclopedic knowledge on water, the strategic vision of a master politician, the dedication of a saint, the patience of a block of granite and a stand-up sense of humor. A beautiful man.
Comment from Sam Parry
November 12th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Though I overlapped with Tom at EDF about 5 years, we worked on different coasts and I never had much of a chance to get to know him — a conference call here, an email exchange there.
Of course his work legecy speaks for itself. But, what struck me when he left EDF were the touching tributes EDF staff shared, many of which dealt with how proud he made other EDFers feel about working here.
Imagine that. We all have this great privilege to work at a great organization with a lot of great people on truly important work. And, yet for many, Tom stood out as someone who made us feel especially proud of our work.
There is a sincere reverence for him from those who knew him well and I know many hearts are hurting tonight. May peace be with you Tom and with all who loved you.
Comment from dbwalker
November 13th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Every day I am mindful that our work at EDF – in the past, present and future – is enabled, empowered and enriched because of Tom Graff. Your spirit, passion and compassion will live forever, Tom. Though the time I spent in your physical presence was limited, I am humbled to be a dwarf upon your giant shoulders as I and our EDF colleagues carry on the good fight. Good fighter and fighter for good: Tom, we'll all miss you.
Comment from Cat
November 13th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Tom is a remarkable human being who lives on in the legacy of his work and deeds and the loving memories of those he leaves behind. I remember Tom giving principled advice like respond with sadness rather than in anger to the seeming impasse. Tom's farewell email was simply "Here’s to EDF and to our work on behalf of the planet and of all its inhabitants." I remember Tom Graff. May time and good memories grant us solace in our loss. – Carol A. Toebe
Comment from Alvin Greenberg
November 13th, 2009 at 10:00 am
My sadness at Tom's passing is tempered by the joy and honor I experienced in knowing Tom and working with him to protect California's rivers. I will never forget the long meetings in Sacramento and the sound advice Tom gave me when we were fighting "Duke's Ditch", working to preserve the Tuolumne River, or when I served as an expert witness for EDF in the case against EBMUD's Mokelumne River water grab. I appreciated his wisdom, his humor (even when on the witness stand in court!), and his friendship.
Alvin Greenberg, Chair, California Sierra Club Water Committee, 1980 to 1988
Comment from Jennifer Witherspoon
November 13th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Dear Tom,
You will be forever missed, it was such fun to work with you. I'll never forget how clever you were, getting a few of us on a boat ride to see the back end of Hetch Hetchy Valley, inspiring us to work for the restoration of a very special place. Or how with a few phone calls you could engender major media coverage for our issues in just about any place. But mostly I will miss your calm, your leadership and your care. You were a great person to be around, a joy to work with, and I count myself lucky to have had a few great years with you. With love and gratitude, Jennifer Witherspoon http://www.vimeo.com/7584627
Comment from waterman
November 13th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Tom,
It was a shame you were not around during the last couple of months to direct EDF's lobbying in Sacramento during the recent special session on water. It's sad to see that EDF has been reduced to advocating for paper instream flows in the Delta and not a set of real and enforceable set of water flows for fish and other species in the Delta.
You are missed.
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November 13th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
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Comment from barrynelson
November 13th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
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 also challenges facing our economy and our society. Solving such problems requires pioneers who can lead the way to new solutions and teach the next generation of leaders. Tom was one of those special people – and the path he blazed will continue to lead California to solutions after his passing.
Comment from monkfish
November 13th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
There may be no other person currently in this world that I wish I had known better. He leaves much to aspire towards..
Comment from byronbuck
November 14th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Tom was a wonderful, thoughtful human being and it was my privilege to have known him. While we disagreed over the years, we as often agreed and regardless of whether we did or didn't he was always gracious and warm. Intelligent as so few are. Sometimes stubborn but never doctrinaire. He could be persuaded by a thoughtful argument but more often was persuading you with his. He leaves a huge void and it will be some time before anyone can claim his mantle, if ever.
Comment from artcooley
November 17th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
As a founding trustee of EDF, I am well aware of all of Tom's accomplishments especially as they have been described by his admirers above. I miss Tom terribly because at each board meeting Tom was full of optimism, good analysis and a wonderful demeanor. But I also will miss, and I hope it doesn't sound trivial, playing ping pong with the icon of California environmentalism. It is often the wonderful interactions we have with our friends that we miss the most. The country's environment is better because of Tom and that is important but the heart aches because other connections have been severed.
Comment from davidlewis
November 25th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Tom was a great mentor to younger environmental leaders, generous with his time and powerful with his example of patient persistence and strategic political thinking. He encouraged me when I started as Save The Bay's Executive Director, and repeatedly gave his time and thoughtful advice. By inspiring others to be engaged and effective in pursuit of a better planet, he has left an enormous legacy that can continue for many years. We will miss him dearly, but his example will continue to shape our efforts.
Comment from betsyreifsnider
January 4th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Two memories of Tom stand out. One cherished memory is when Tom rode to Friends of the River's rescue when the Sacramento Bee published an unfair editorial about us. Tom wrote a letter to the editor so full of indignation at the Bee and of appreciation for Friends of the River that I framed it and hung it above my desk. Tom's letter kept me going during the tough times.
My second memory is of Tom dancing in a small rural town in Northern China. We were part of a water resources delegation led by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Dan Beard. Unbeknownst to us, the hotel where we were staying had organized a dance for us and forced the hotel staff to be available as dancing partners! We Americans acted like junior high school students standing awkwardly against the walls and avoiding eye contact with our Chinese hosts. Tom whispered that he felt sorry for the staff, so he gamely walked out onto the dance floor and asked one of the women if she would do him the honor of the next dance. We soon followed Tom's example and actually had a fun time. I will always remember Tom's kindness, humor, and grace under pressure.
Comment from grantdavis
January 6th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Tom was the dean of our delegation, his compass pointing true north. From that direction it rarely waivered and only when it absolutley had to. He leaves a legacy of monumental accomplishments and represents an example for all of us to follow. He was strong, determined, and very effective. He had a wicked sense of humor and we were all lucky to know him, to work alongside him and to call him friend.
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