DOWNTOWN — After months of battling illness, Mayor Ken Genser died on Saturday. He had been in the hospital for the past few months.
Details for the memorial service have not been announced.
Genser, who last attended a council meeting on Oct. 27, 2009, was brought to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 10 weeks ago complaining of severe back pain and a shortness of breath.
Mayor Pro Tem Pam O'Connor has filled in for Genser over the last two months, coordinating council agendas and running public meetings. She said in December that the council excused Genser's absences in November, although no formal vote was taken.
This is the second death to a sitting council member in 12 months. Councilman Herb Katz lost a long battle with cancer in January, 2009.