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Former Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl 'gravely ill,' in hospice care
File: Then-Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl speaks during a council meeting at City Hall on June 1, 2012.
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Andres Aguila/KPCC
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Former Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl is "gravely ill" and in hospice care at his Mar Vista home, according to a Facebook post from his successor, Councilman Mike Bonin.
Rosendahl had several hospital visits and a brief stay in a convalescent home, and both his medical team and his family "feel that he is in his twilight days, and his transition from this world to the next has begun," according to the post. Bonin describes him as "comfortable and happy," saying that he's surrounded by family and friends at home "with the sounds of his chickens and the fresh breeze he loves so much."
Rosendahl, a Democrat, was a councilman from 2005 to 2013 and had originally pledged to seek a third term in office. He later announced he wouldn't run for re-election in order to focus on his health after undergoing more than 13 radiation treatments and multiple rounds of chemotherapy. His cancer did go into remission in 2013. He credited his then-good health to the decision not to run for re-election, as well as medical marijuana.
He was the first openly gay man to serve on the council. Rosendahl announced his cancer while still in office before returning to office 45 pounds lighter and using a walker, revealing he had cancer of the ureter, a cavity that connects the bladder and kidney. He is a former cable TV executive who hosted public affairs programs.
You can read Bonin's full Facebook post below:
In recent days, many of you have been asking about the health of my friend and predecessor, Bill Rosendahl -- especially...
Posted by Mike Bonin on Monday, February 15, 2016
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