By Melanie Camp and Mariella Rudi
On Tuesday morning, April 5, hundreds gathered to honor the life of former Los Angeles Councilmember Bill Rosendahl in a service at St. Monica’s Catholic Church in Santa Monica. This was the first of two celebrations planned to honor Rosendahl, who died March 30 at age 70 after a four-year battle with cancer.
The turnout was a testament to the impact the late Mar Vista local had on the wider Los Angeles community. A second, less formal and more lively “Rosendahl-style” community celebration will be held tomorrow at Mar Vista Park.
Presiding over the church service, Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson was quick to point out that the memorial mass was probably not something Rosendahl would have necessarily enjoyed.
“I’m sure he’d want the second one. I’m not so sure he’d want this first one,” he said, drawing applause and laughter from the crowd.
He also spoke of Rosendahl’s ability to take the struggles of his life and make it a force for good.
“Bill had a special love for the people that were on the fringes. That was his symphony,” Monsignor Torgerson said.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Rosendahl was “a man whose impact on us transcended his public service. He was the conscious of our council and indeed the conscious of our entire city.”
Villaraigosa said Rosendahl was a man who had witnessed Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in person, and lived his faith in his service to others. Rosendahl had an “unbridled enthusiasm for life” and was the type of man who welcomed people of all backgrounds into his home, according to Villaraigosa.
“You could go to Billy’s place and see a billionaire next to a homeless person, and Billy would be there holding court. He saw everyone as they were,” he recalled.
The former Mayor urged the congregation to celebrate Rosendahl’s life “by doing more for the marginalized.”
Rosendahl once “found a place to live” for Zuma Dogg, a well-known City Hall gadfly, Villaraigosa said.
“Zuma Dogg would beat us all up, he certainly beat me up!” he said. “He would beat Billy up from time to time. But that was Billy. He was a man [who] embraced love and embraced people. He was someone committed to working for the homeless, someone who understood that to whom much is given, much is expected.”
“Billy was great, great, great, great, great,” Villaraigosa said, invoking one of Rosendahl’s favorite catch-phrases in describing his former colleague.
One of Rosendahl’s legacies was in bringing the “safe parking concept to Los Angeles,” which would have allowed those who are homeless to park and live in their vehicles in a lot overnight, Villaraigosa said.
City Councilman Mike Bonin delivered the prayer of intercession. Villaraigosa said Bonin had been almost like a son to Rosendahl.
Bonin, who served as Rosendahl’s chief of staff and ultimately succeeded him representing the 11th District, asked attendees at the St. Monica’s Church serve to pray for Rosendahl, “a cherished friend and exemplary public servant, beloved partner, a brother, an uncle, a mentor, a colleague, a boss, a role-model and an inspiration.”
According to the Brentwood Community Council (BCC), Bill Rosendahl started his campaign for Councilmember by suggesting the Coral Trees be replaced.
“That didn’t sit well with Brentwood, which he quickly learned! After elected, he designated $10,000 to help care for the trees,” said Nancy Freedman of the BCC.
“He will be remembered as a man with a big heart, big voice, larger than life personality, and great concern for humanity, in particular the downtrodden. The Brentwood community takes this opportunity to send condolences to his family and friends. Bill will be missed.”
Rosendahl, a former cable television executive and public affairs broadcaster, served on the council from 2005 to 2013, when he retired to fight stage-four cancer. Toward the end of his tenure in office, Rosendahl was an ardent supporter of medical marijuana, which he used to fight the side effects of his cancer treatments.
He was often referred to as the “conscience of the City Council.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti, who could not attend the Catholic mass service because he was traveling back from a trip to Washington, D.C., is expected to speak at another event honoring Rosendahl, “GREAT GREAT GREAT: A Celebration of Life,” which is set for 2pm tomorrow, April 16, at Mar Vista Park.
