David Zamora dies at 56; Colton mayor

Colton Mayor David R. Zamora, who was elected less than a year ago after working for the city for nearly three decades, died Thursday afternoon when he had a heart attack and crashed into a pole while driving from his home to City Hall. He was 56.

Zamora became mayor in November after serving on the board of the Colton Joint Unified School District for 13 years.

“I’m just devastated,” said Adelfa Flores, a city office manager. “David Zamora brought life into this council. He made the council come together.”

The single-car accident occurred on La Cadena Drive in Colton in San Bernardino County. Zamora was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Few details of the accident have been made public.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, City Manager Rod Foster praised Zamora’s service to the city, noting that in Zamora’s first state of the city address — given last week — the mayor was optimistic about a “new beginning” for the city.

“We are confident that his legacy will be well-served by the city continuing in the spirit of his leadership,” Foster said.

In the speech, Zamora highlighted the hard work that city leaders and employees had done in just a matter of months to help rescue the city from insolvency, building the city reserve from $50,000 to nearly $1.9 million.

“Faith in city government had just collapsed,” said David Toro, a councilman and longtime friend. “Within seven months he was able to balance the budget, bring lower electric rates and negotiate a deal to keep the city’s public safety in house.”

His last position with the city, before being elected mayor, was as Colton’s community development director.

Zamora was born Jan. 9, 1955, in California and attended Cal State San Bernardino, where he earned undergraduate degrees in sociology and social science and a master’s degree in public administration.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah, a former city councilwoman, three daughters and four grandchildren.

Funeral services were pending.

phil.willon@latimes.com