From 1961 to 1965, he was
Administrative Assistant and Executive Secretary to
Lieutenant Governor Glenn M. Anderson. From 1965 to 1966, Sieroty was Deputy Director of the Chile-California Program. A
Democrat, Sieroty was a
California State Assemblyman from 1967 until 1977, when he resigned just two months into his sixth term to become a
California State Senator. He was re-elected in 1978 but did not seek re-election in 1982. Sieroty was the author of more than 100 bills, many of which shaped key environmental policies. Among his most notable achievements was spearheading the initiative and legislative effort that established the
California Coastal Commission, a landmark in coastal protection and environmental governance. Sieroty was also the author of the bill which made the California Sabretooth Tiger (
Smilodon californicus) the official
state fossil. His fellow politicians in the Legislature named a
Marin County beach for him, Alan Sieroty Beach. and was also a member of the board of directors of the
American Civil Liberties Union. ==Personal life and death==