San Clemente mayor dies suddenly while on vacation in Palm Desert

The mayor of San Clemente, who was also on the Orange County Fire Authority board, died suddenly while on vacation Wednesday. He was 74.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to the Marriott Desert Springs Villa on Pineburst Lane in Palm Desert at 9:44 AM for an unattended death. First responders arrived and found Steven Swartz deceased.

Swartz was with his wife Nicki at the time, said Colleen Windsor, a spokeswoman for the OCFA. Swartz was appointed to the agency’s board in January.

RSO investigators said there was no evidence of foul play or suspicious circumstances surrounding Swartz’s death.

Swartz, a Southern California native, played football at El Camino College in Torrance and was a Vietnam War veteran who served in the Air Force, according to his profile on the city’s website. He worked in the finance and banking industries for 45 years and had been a local business owner since 1989.

Swartz moved to San Clemente with his wife and their son Kyle in 1993. Two years later, he started South Coast Surety in San Clemente.