Flags Lowered After City Manager’s Death
The flags at South El Monte City Hall were at half-staff Monday as the community mourned the sudden death of 48-year-old City Manager Rita Hardin from infection in the aftermath of emergency surgery.
Hardin, who lived in Orange, had been the city’s top administrator since May 1995 and a local government official for more than two decades. She was admitted to the hospital last Wednesday and succumbed to an infection two days later, South El Monte officials announced Monday.
She is survived by her husband, Neal, and two sons, Eli and Noah. Services will be held Wednesday at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange.
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