L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl begins cancer treatment

Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl revealed Wednesday that he has begun receiving treatment for cancer in his pelvic area.

Rosendahl, who had missed 10 days of work at City Hall due to severe back pain, said in an email and Twitter post that he learned this week that he has the cancer, which he described as slow-moving. In a message titled “I’m Going to Beat This,” he said the cancer is pinching some of his nerves and “causing a lot of pain” but had not reached any vital organs.

Treatment began Wednesday.

The announcement comes two days after Rosendahl, 67, told The Times that he uses medical marijuana to treat neuropathy, a stinging pain in his feet.

Rosendahl said his doctors are confident that he can get his pain under control so he can return to work while undergoing treatment. The councilman, who represents coastal communities stretching from Westchester to Pacific Palisades, is running unopposed for a third four-year term in the March election.

“I am going to beat this cancer and return to work soon. I am going to seek, win and complete a third term. And I am going to spend the next five years making sure we provide top-notch constituent service to residents of the 11th District,” he wrote in his email, which went out to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Council President Herb Wesson and hundreds of constituents.

Rosendahl also said in his message that his staff would continue handling such matters as filling potholes, removing graffiti and pursuing other projects in his Westside district.

Rosendahl’s chief of staff, Mike Bonin, would not provide details about the type of cancer or treatment his boss is receiving. The councilman said through a spokesman that he is unavailable for interviews.

Wesson released a statement saying Rosendahl will “not be fighting this personal health battle alone.”

“Bill is someone we love,” Wesson said, pledging to “stand with” Rosendahl and “do everything we can to assist him and his staff in serving his constituents while he is absent from the City Council.”

david.zahniser@latimes.com