SAN FRANCISCO -- Nicholas Petris, who served in the California Legislature for 37 years representing Oakland and other East Bay cities, has died.

Petris passed away early Wednesday in an Oakland nursing home, his longtime chief of staff, Felice Zensius, said. Petris was 90.

Born in Oakland, Petris was considered a leading liberal voice during his long career in the Assembly and the Senate before he was compelled to retire in 1996 by term limits.

He was a major advocate of tax reform, farmworker rights, affordable housing, mental health services and environmental protection. During his career he penned laws banning smoking on airplanes, trains and buses, and required redevelopment agencies to build housing for low- and moderate-income families.

"He saw things in a different light, that government was for the people, not for the big corporations," said Zensius, who served as his chief of staff for more than 10 years and worked for Petris for nearly 25 years.

"We didn't have the big corporate lobbies knocking down our door, she said. "That's not where the senator's heart was."

The son of Greek immigrants, during speeches Petris would often quote Greek philosophers and reference ancient Greek scholars.

"He was really a giant of the Legislature, a fantastic orator in the Greek tradition who people would just stop and listen to," former state Sen. John Burton, now the chairman of the California Democratic Party, told The San Francisco Chronicle.

"I don't think he had a single enemy. If you didn't like Nick Petris, you didn't like vanilla ice cream."

Petris was married for 60 years to the former Anna Vlahos, who died in 2010. He is survived by his brother, Gus Petris of Oakland, his longtime caretaker, Noula Vlahakis of Oakland, and several nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.

The exact cause of his death was not revealed, but Zensius confirmed Petris was being cared for in the Alzheimer's unit of the nursing home.

Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Greek Orthodox Church in Oakland.