SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Ex-Councilman Bernardi, 81, Suffers Heart Attack

Former San Fernando Valley Councilman Ernani Bernardi suffered a heart attack Thursday morning as he was being treated for unrelated health problems at a Panorama City hospital, authorities said.

The 81-year-old saxophonist-turned-politician is in guarded condition at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center’s cardiac care unit, said hospital spokeswoman Magdalena Beltran-del Olmo. She said it was too early to tell how serious the attack was or to make a prognosis for his recovery. Bernardi was admitted to the hospital last Friday for treatment of other health problems, but Beltran-del Olmo said Bernardi’s family requested that no additional information be released.

However, friends and former colleagues said Bernardi has appeared frail and sickly since his wife of 60 years, Lucille Bernardi, died in October after a lengthy bout with Alzheimer’s disease. They said he was being treated at the hospital for an unspecified prostate problem.