The City Council honored Telemundo actor Mauricio Ochmann at its meeting Tuesday for his work to support the End of Life Option Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2015.
The law permits terminally ill adult patients with the capacity to make medical decisions to be prescribed an aid-in-dying medication if certain conditions are met.
Ochmann was introduced by Councilman Paul Koretz, who said Ochmann was the first L.A. celebrity to speak out in favor of the act.
“Not only did Mr. Ochmann become a champion for terminally ill Latinos and their families in Los Angeles, but throughout California and the United States,” Koretz said. “His voice helped bring comfort and relief for Latinos suffering at the end of life, knowing they now have the option to take medication to die peacefully.”
Ochmann is known as “Chema Venegas” in the Telemundo telenovelas “El Chema” and “El Senor de los Cielos.”
“As Latinos, we learn early on to accept death because of our culture’s reverence to celebrate the lives of our beloved dead,” Ochmann said. “However, we are afraid to talk about death itself. We must honor our dying loved ones in their final days and give them the opportunity to control the timing and manner of their passing.”
Ochmann was presented with a certificate that read, “The City of Los Angeles commends you for your brave work and extraordinary leadership in helping to champion and achieve passage of the End of Life Option Act.”
The council also honored civil rights activist Dolores Huerta and actor Edward James Olmos for their support of the bill, although they were not in attendance.
—City News Service