The city of Hawaiian Gardens announced Tuesday the death of former mayor and city councilman Leonard Chaidez, a longtime community leader who spent more than three decades in public service.
Chaidez died Friday at age 75, according to the city, which did not disclose a cause or location of death.
He served the city in a variety of roles, including recreation director, assistant to the city administrator, city administrator and executive director before being elected to the City Council in 1999, city officials said.
He served two terms on the council through 2007 and was mayor from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2004 to 2005.
According to city officials, Chaidez played a key role in expanding youth recreation programs, strengthening employment opportunities for young people, supporting senior services and helping advance economic development efforts in the city.
“Leonard Chaidez was one of the architects of modern Hawaiian Gardens,” Mayor Maria Teresa Del Rio said in a statement. “His vision, leadership and unwavering commitment to our residents helped shape the city we know today.”
City officials said Chaidez’s public service career began in 1971 as a recreation assistant for the city of La Palma. He later worked with Head Start, the Orange County Probation Department and the Hawaiian Gardens Social Services Agency before joining the city government in 1988.
The city extended its condolences to Chaidez’s family and said his contributions would have a lasting impact on the community.
The best mayor Hawaiian Gardens ever had. He brought HG out of the red and into the black with bringing in the Gardens Casino and other businesses. He advocated for the poor as he opened the Food Bank which still exists. He was loved by the people he served…and myself..his brother.