Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand passed away Friday, February 9, following a four-year battle with stage four lung cancer. He was 65.
According to a statement from the City of Redondo Beach, he died at home surrounded by his wife, Diedre, and family and friends after a “sudden turn of health” in the few days before. The city reported that he survived his specific form of lung cancer for longer than any other person diagnosed in America; “A testament to his will to live, his will to move forward, and his will to lead the community he loved so much.”
Throughout his illness, Brand pursued his mayoral goals, culminating in a 2023 New Year’s Eve celebration of the decommissioning of the Redondo Beach AES Power Plant. Over the past two years he also guided the city through a planning process for new amenities in King Harbor, after helping the city extricate itself from an unpopular King Harbor development agreement.
“I don’t think there’s anybody that cared more for the city than Bill,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Todd Loewenstein. “I’d say, ‘Bill, how’s your health,’ and he’d say, ‘oh fine, but we need to do this and this, and this for the city.’ I’d say, sure, but Bill, your health. He wouldn’t stop talking about the city. He was a force of nature. He really changed the trajectory of the city, in a lot of ways.”
Tributes have come in from other city and regional officials, including L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
“My heart is heavy today,” she said in a statement Saturday. “Bill Brand was my dear friend and even though we knew this day would be coming, it hurts to say goodbye.
“Elected office can be a challenge, but being Mayor of Redondo Beach came naturally to Bill. He embodied the South Bay. He was passionate about his responsibilities as Mayor, fighting corporate developers to preserve the beach community he loved, but he also made time for surf breaks. His lifelong mission was to transform the AES power plant to open space, and I know that because of his hard work, that is going to happen.
“Even though his battle with cancer was difficult and painful, Bill never let it stop him from enjoying every minute he could of his life.”
County Supervisor Holly Mitchell wrote in a statement that Brand “was a fighter who kept showing up to serve” even during his fight against cancer. “We have lost a leader who loved the South Bay and fought with all his heart to protect our environment.”
County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said that Brand had made “a lasting impact on the community [and] all who knew him.”
Redondo Beach Police Chief Joe Hoffman paid his respects.
“With much sadness, this morning I learned about the passing of Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand,” he posted in a statement Saturday. “I have had the honor and privilege of working closely with him for over fifteen years. He inspired so much positive change through his passion for Redondo Beach. His commitment and determination serve as a model for others. The Redondo Beach Police Department will always remember his tremendous support and will keep Bill and his family in our thoughts.”
During his sickness, Brand underwent clinical trials at Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles and at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
“He just ran out of runway. That’s what it really came down to,” Loewenstein said.
Bill Brand moved to the South Bay from Dallas, Texas with his family in 1966, when he was eight years old. He became active in Redondo politics in 2000 as an opponent of the proposed Heart of the City development plan, and a proponent of restoring the wetlands at what is now Redondo Beach AES Power Plant.
Brand was elected twice to the city council beginning in 2009, and then twice to the Mayor’s seat.
Service announcements for private and public ceremonies will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the mayor’s wife Deidra and his family are asking donations be sent to the non-profit he started, the South Bay Parkland Conservancy; or to the Cancer Support Community South Bay. Flags at the Redondo Beach City Hall, Veterans Park and at the Redondo Unified School District are being flown at half-mast. ER
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