An eclectic crowd — even chickens — commemorates late Councilman Rosendahl’s larger-than-life spirit

It was a day every bit as eclectic as the man it was commemorating.

At Saturday’s celebration of the late City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, there were Native American singers, off-season carolers in polka dots, and a rendition of David Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes” performed by the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles. There was a photo booth, seed planting, laughter, music — and a little dancing too.

And, of course, chickens.

Politicians, beekeepers and Venice boardwalk hustlers all converged on a Mar Vista park on a radiant Saturday afternoon to pay tribute to the cable TV host-turned-councilman, who died last month after a four-year battle with cancer.

They described the larger-than-life spirit of the man who listened to Christmas carols year-round, gave away eggs hatched by his backyard chickens and seemed to befriend everybody he encountered.

“It really paid tribute to his spirit,” said his longtime partner, book publisher Hedi el Kholti. “All these different people brought together, with no hierarchy — that’s the beauty of Bill’s energy.”

Councilman Mike Bonin, who was Rosendahl’s chief of staff and succeeded him in his Westside district after he retired in 2013, said much of the celebration was orchestrated by the late councilman himself. Except all his ideas couldn’t be squeezed into one afternoon.

“Bill’s plan would’ve been a four-day Billstock,” Bonin said.

Rosendahl lived every moment to the fullest, Bonin said. That meant every task had a sense of urgency — whether it was back-seat driving or an initiative for the homeless.

He recounted a story he said was told at Rosendahl’s funeral, of how his former boss of eight years bristled when he was instructed to wear gloves and not touch anybody during a visit to skid row.

“Bill walked around, got on his knees. He touched and hugged everybody,” he said. “Bill was not the kind of guy who got sympathetic with others — he got empathetic.”

Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke of a man who had a way of winning people over to his liberal causes.

“Before there was Bernie [Sanders], there was Bill,” he said. “He was like a cult leader you couldn’t say no to.”

Garcetti said Rosendahl, who was raised Catholic but was influenced later in life by Judaism and Eastern religions, was probably in a “post-heaven, transcendental semi-Buddhist, Hindu place” and working hard to fix things there, as he did in Los Angeles.

Kim Selbert, who lives just blocks from the park, added a tribute to a large poster: “You made such a difference in so many lives.”

She said Rosendahl was a visible, approachable presence in the district, whether it was at a cancer walk or a protest against a tall condominium development.

Next to the poster, Rob Kadota was collecting signatures on an empty white beehive box. Kadota said the councilman turned him on to raising chickens, and then to beekeeping. (Rosendahl introduced the City Council motion that ultimately legalized backyard beekeeping in Los Angeles.)

“He changed for me the face of city government,” said Kadota, who inherited half of Rosendahl’s hive and said he plans on relocating the bees to the signed box.

Running the photo booth was Alex Stowell, who used to peddle photo key chains on the Venice boardwalk and now runs a photography business called Venice Paparazzi. Stowell recalled working with the councilman on a lottery system for boardwalk vendors. He had a contagious positive energy, said Stowell, who photographed the weddings of two of Rosendahl’s staff members.

“His smile was probably three miles wide,” he said.

Under a tree on one side of the stage, 14-year-old Logan Fischer tended to a flock of chickens, one of which laid an egg during the event. The birds weren’t from Rosendahl’s flock but from Goodrich Family Farms, a regular at the Mar Vista farmers market, which Rosendahl had championed.

Logan said he was wearing his blue Hawaiian shirt in honor of Rosendahl, who sported vibrant colors when he spoke at his school.

“Everybody’s life is like a hotel room,” he recalled the late councilman saying during one of those visits. “You eventually have to check out.”

victoria.kim@latimes.com

Twitter: @vicjkim

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