Steve Padilla, current chair of the California Coastal Commission, is reportedly on a respirator battling COVID-19 and was admitted to a hospital ICU, four days after announcing he tested positive for the disease.
According to Politico Pro, Padilla, 53, is the first “elected official in California and the first statewide official to publicly disclose being infected.”
Padilla was admitted to UCSD Thornton Hospital’s ICU late Thursday, his daughter Ashleigh Padilla announced in a written statement to the press.Â
“My father asked me to pass on a message: Everyone needs to take COVID-19 seriously,” she said in the statement, published by multiple sources. “Please follow the advice of our public health officials to reduce spread of the virus and take precautions to keep your families and our community safe.”
Padilla also serves as a council member for the city of Chula Vista.
For more local COVID-19 coverage, visit The Malibu Times’ COVID-19 news page.