Called by many the “dean of the California legislature,” Nicholas Petris was the first American of Greek extraction to be elected to the state legislature, where he served from 1958-1996. Petris represented Oakland in the state assembly from 1958-1966 and for the next 30 years was in the state senate.

Petris wrote much of the legislation that became the basis for the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and in 1969 introduced legislation to outlaw the use of the internal combustion engine in automobiles. Petris also championed education, mental health, nursing home reform and the banning of pesticides that cause birth defects during his 38 years in the California legislature.