State Sen. Greene, Citing Health Problems, Will Retire : Legislature: He has missed more than 50% of votes in recent sessions. He has been treated for alcoholism, a heart attack and pneumonia.

SACRAMENTO —  Citing “continuing health concerns,” state Sen. Bill Greene (D-Los Angeles) on Monday announced that he plans to retire when his term ends next year.

Greene, 59, who has been increasingly absent from his duties and in recent years missed more than 50% of Senate votes, made the announcement in a statement distributed to senators and the news media.

The statement failed to spell out the nature of his latest illness. But Greene has been hospitalized in the last two years for alcoholism, a heart attack and pneumonia. He was not available for comment.

The announcement from Greene, who was elected to the Assembly in 1966 and stepped up to the Senate in a 1975 special election, was not totally unexpected. Earlier this year Assemblywoman Teresa P. Hughes (D-Los Angeles) said she intended to enter the race if Greene retired.

Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) said Greene has not been in the Senate since the Legislature returned from its summer recess on Aug. 19. “He still has a robust mind . . . but his body is not willing,” said Watson.

“Really, for the last two years, he’s had a real challenge to his health,” said Watson, who represents an adjoining district.

Greene missed more votes in the 1989-90 legislative session than any other senator, according to Legi-Tech, a computerized information service.

After acknowledging alcoholism, Greene missed the final weeks of the 1989 session while completing a treatment program at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage. Last year, he missed part of the session recovering from a heart attack.

Last March, Greene, chairman of the Senate Industrial Relations Committee, returned to the Senate chamber to a standing ovation after a two-month absence for a third illness--pneumonia.

In 24 years in the Legislature, Greene has carved out a reputation as a pro-labor liberal, a champion of social welfare programs and a supporter of civil rights.

Greene’s district includes South-Central Los Angeles, Watts, Bell, Compton, Cudahy, Huntington Park and South Gate.

On Monday, Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles) said Greene’s retirement would have no effect on a proposed redrawing of legislative lines.

“We’ve been working on the premise he probably will be retiring,” Roberti said.

Besides Hughes, another potential candidate is Sen. Ralph Dills (D-Gardena). In a reapportionment plan unveiled last week by Roberti, nearly half of the people in Dills’ district would be merged into Greene’s.

Times staff writer Carl Ingram contributed to this story.