Kiley Recovering, Cites Slight Heart Ailment

Councilwoman Barbara W. Kiley said Wednesday that she is recovering at home after collapsing during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Kiley, 49, was rushed by ambulance to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton after briefly losing consciousness at the meeting. At the time of the incident, council colleagues thought Kiley had suffered an asthma attack.

Kiley, who was released from the hospital later Tuesday night, said she does have asthma, but that did not cause her collapse.

“I’m doing OK,” the councilwoman said Wednesday. “I do have a slight heart condition that we didn’t know about.”

At the time of the collapse, community activist Nancy Rikel was voicing her disapproval of Kiley and other council members during the public comment segment of the meeting.

Rikel and fellow members of a group called OUCH--Organization of Unified Concerned Homeowners--have been outspoken critics of Kiley and a proposal to expand Imperial Highway, a project that Kiley supports.

Kiley said Wednesday that she has been under stress too because results of the Nov. 5 council election are not final, so she does not know yet if she will be returned to office.