Bill Rosendahl, the gregarious and outspoken former Los Angeles City Councilman, died Wednesday morning after a four-year battle with cancer. He was 70.
Rosendahl represented L.A.’s Westside for eight years before stepping down in 2013 to concentrate on fighting a stage-four cancer. Among his accomplishments: opening new facilities for the homeless in the Venice neighborhood, as well as for veterans receiving medical treatment, and halting an expansion plan for Los Angeles International Airport that he believed was too intrusive for neighboring residents and businesses. Just before he stepped down, he advocated for broader access to medical marijuana and said that he had used the drug in fighting his cancer illness.
“Today, Los Angeles and the world lost a giant of social justice — and I lost a wonderful friend,” said L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti in a statement.
“As a member of the Los Angeles City Council and a local broadcaster, Bill served Los Angeles with passion and distinction. He was one of the earliest and bravest voices for equality for the LGBT community, a staunch defender of workers’ rights, and the first openly gay man elected to our City Council. Most importantly, he was a decent and compassionate human being. Amy and I could always count on his friendship. He demonstrated his affection in small but touching ways — as when he brought us eggs from the chickens he kept.
He was rightfully proud of his service, and I left his company proud of our city for having chosen him to serve. He had the biggest heart I know, and I will miss him deeply.”
Prior to his election in 2005, Rosendahl produced and moderated public affairs television shows on local cable outlets, producing more than 3,000 programs over 16 years. He won several journalism and public service awards in the process. He also served as a cable television executive with Adelphia Cable, Century Cablevision, Group W, and TelePrompter.
Before he entered broadcast journalism, Rosendahl had a political career, including working for the presidential campaigns of Eugene McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy.
Rosendahl came out publicly as gay in 1995, when his longtime partner, Christopher Lee Blauman, died as a result of AIDS complications. He was sharply and publicly critical about the ways the Reagan and Clinton administrations addressed the AIDS epidemic. In his later years, he became a gay role model and won several awards from gay organizations.
Tributes poured in Wednesday morning for the former councilman.
Rep. Janice Hahn, D-San Pedro, and a former L.A. City Council colleague, said, “Bill was one of the most selfless and kind-hearted individuals I have ever known. That heart made him an incredible advocate and a beloved champion for the people he represented. He was brave in the face of adversity and had a contagious passion for life.”
Funeral and memorial arrangements are pending, but a Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Monica’s Church in Santa Monica.
