Longtime City Councilman Dies After Hospitalization: Report

PERRIS, CA — Former Perris Mayor and City Councilman Al Landers, whose efforts helped boost the city's flagging economic prospects in the 1990s, died Friday from a condition exacerbated by a COVID-19 infection, city officials said Monday.

Landers was 81.

"On behalf of the Perris City Council and the city organization, we extend our thoughts and prayers to the Landers family as the whole community mourns this loss," according to a city statement.

It was unclear how long Landers had been hospitalized or what underlying condition he was suffering, but according to officials, virus complications were directly tied to his death.

Landers served on the Perris City Council from 1995 to 2014, when he was defeated for re-election.

A city retrospective noted that, at the start of Landers' municipal service, Perris was in a severe economic slump -- bordering on bankruptcy -- due to the impacts of the early 1990s recession and process of converting nearby March Air Force Base to a reserve facility, leading to sweeping layoffs.

The then-independent Perris Police Department and Fire Department were deactivated to save money, and the city began contracting with the county for emergency services, which continues to this day.

Landers and other council members established policies favorable to residential real estate development and worked to attract big box retailers and other corporations to the area, as well as expand recreational opportunities to increase municipal revenue streams.

The city's fortunes improved in the ensuing years.

"We did it as a council," Landers said before leaving office in 2014. "I was just part of the team. Everyone respected each other, and we all got along. I like to think we were a small part of the success the city is experiencing and will experience in the coming years."

Funeral arrangements were pending.