Persistence.
The descriptor was uttered often about Bill Brand, with more than a dozen speakers sharing stories about the beloved late Redondo Beach mayor at a public memorial on Sunday afternoon.
The two-hour-plus tribute, at Redondo Union High School’s auditorium, was attended by hundreds. And elegies were presented by family and friends, by city officials, by Los Angeles County electeds and by state lawmakers.
Whether it was a sibling sharing or a county supervisor, the theme was Brand’s brutal determination to fight for what he believed in — whether he was inviting someone to an event, taking the long way home along the coast or waging a political war against corporations.
Brand was described as charismatic, a catalyst for change, a “straight shooter,” a leader and a champion for residents of Redondo Beach.
Supervisor Janice Hahn, one of the final few regional officials to speak, described Brand as having a no-nonsense approach to government and an unabashed love for Redondo Beach.
“Mayors come and go,” said Hahn. “Supervisors come and go.” But sometimes, Hahn added, there’s a special public official that comes along that will be remembered for generations.
“Bill Brand was that man,” Hahn said. “And our collective hearts are broken.”
The fulcrum of the afternoon was widow Deirdre Brand’s teary and heartfelt memories. It was difficult, she said, to write something because there was just so much to describe about her husband of seven years and she couldn’t decide which part of his life to describe.
“And besides, what I was writing felt like an epilogue,” Deirdre said as she choked up. “But I want there to be a closing chapter.”
Deirdre apologized to anyone in town who her late husband had pestered to work on a task force or attend a meeting. When Bill had a bone in his mouth, she said, he just wouldn’t let go. After all, she reminded the crowd: “I lived with him.”
“God bless you, Bill,” Deirdre said as…
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