Sacramento Mayor Darryl Steinberg is joining other state leaders in mourning the loss of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, who died suddenly early this morning.
In a call to the KFBK Morning News, Steinberg described Lee as a friend and political colleague.
"What a loss," says Steinberg. "When I think about Ed, I think about someone who practiced the art of politics in a very effective way, but always with a smile. He had a good heart."
Steinberg says Lee always took his job seriously and was a tireless advocate for the homelessness and people with mental health issues.
A doctor who treated Lee says the mayor arrived at the hospital in critical condition by ambulance shortly after 10 p.m. Monday. Dr. Susan Ehrlich of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital says doctors tried lifesaving measures for several hours but Lee died at 1:11 a.m.
She says an autopsy will determine the cause of death. No other details will be released now at the wishes of Lee's family.
Lee had been mayor since 2011.
San Francisco's Board of Supervisors President London Breed is now serving as the city's acting mayor.