SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Anne Rudin, the first woman to be elected mayor of Sacramento, has died.
The city of Sacramento confirmed her passing in a statement to ABC10. The statement from Mayor Darrell Steinberg reads:
"Mayor Anne Rudin was always a leader ahead of her time. She was among the first to recognize that LGBTQ rights are core civil rights. She saw early the possibilities to convert military bases into economic opportunities. She broke the glass ceiling becoming Sacramento’s first elected woman mayor. She was decent, tough, and always elevated the best of Sacramento’s values."
According to the League of Women Voters, she served as president of both the League of Women Voters of Sacramento and the League of Women Voters of California. The organization also has a scholarship named after her.
"The League established the Anne Rudin Scholarship Fund to commemorate the accomplishments of former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin and to enable other women to pursue higher education in the fields of public administration and public policy," the description of the scholarship reads on the website.
They add she was mayor of Sacramento from 1983 to 1992. She also served as a member of the Sacramento City Council for twelve years.
Jay Rudin, Anne Rudin's son, released a statement saying his mother was the most honest person he had known.
"I don't think she could have told a fib if her life depended on it, " Jay Rudin's statement reads. "As a parent and a politician, rather than rule with an iron fist she lead with wisdom, communication, civility and diplomacy to bring people together. She always led by example — a style that never failed her."
Anne Rudin was 97 years old when she passed.
