John A. Nejedly, 91; Former State Senator
John A. Nejedly, 91, a former California state senator known for his firm support of the environment, died Tuesday at a hospital in Walnut Creek, Calif., after having a stroke last weekend.
Nejedly was elected to represent the 7th Senatorial District in March 1969 and served until 1980.
Major legislation written by Nejedly includes the Pesticide Control Act, including the elimination of DDT and reform of the state’s criminal justice sentencing procedures. He was also considered an expert on water policy.
He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildlife and a member of the Finance and Judiciary committees.
Born in Oakland, Nejedly graduated from UC Berkeley in 1935 and earned his law degree from Boalt Hall in 1941. During World War II, he served as a Japanese-language officer in an intelligence unit in the Army Air Forces. After the war, he was Richmond deputy district attorney and Walnut Creek city attorney from 1946 to 1958 and was general counsel for Contra Costa County for 1958 to 1969.
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