LAWNDALE, Calif. — Lawndale Mayor Harold Hofmann died today at his home of natural causes, a sheriff’s lieutenant said.
Hofmann, 81, was mayor of Lawndale for more than 20 years, and prior to that, a member of the City Council for 10 years, said Lt. John Hocking of the sheriff’s South Los Angeles station.
Hocking said, in honor of Hofmann, all flags in the City of Lawndale will be flown at half-staff.
Hofmann told the Daily Breeze that he first ran for City Council in 1976 because he was frustrated and dissatisfied with local government. It took him three tries to win a seat, and he was elected to the City Council in April of 1980.
The newspaper reported that Hofmann was first elected mayor in April 1990, running on a platform of accountability among City Hall workers and improving the city’s appearance.
Born in Montebello, Hofmann later moved to Lawndale. According to the Daily Breeze, Hofmann lived in the house where he was raised. He rode a horse down a dirt road to school, tying it up in front of the schoolhouse each morning, according to the Daily Breeze.
He told the newspaper earlier this year that had contemplated stepping down in the past. But with at least two more years of mayor ahead, his eyes remained fixed on Lawndale’s future.
“Every time I finished a project I thought I would be satisfied,” Hofmann told the Daily Breeze. “(The job) is still interesting, still challenging and I still love the people of Lawndale.”
He is survived by his wife Doris, their children and grandchildren.
Funeral services were pending, Hocking said.
