Mayor has heart surgery

-- Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Mayor Dave Garofalo underwent heart bypass surgery

Wednesday, a family member said.

The four-hour operation at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical

Center was performed after tests revealed a clogged blood vessel causing

a slight flux in his heart rhythm, son Kevin Garofalo said.

The 53-year-old Garofalo, who has a history of heart problems, realized

for months that the surgery might be necessary, his son said.

“It’s better that we do it now rather than later,” Kevin Garofalo said.

In late June, Dave Garofalo, who is also the publisher of a local

newspaper, required an angioplasty for a different clogged blood vessel.

He is expected to be released from the hospital by Saturday and will

recuperate at home for perhaps two weeks.

“The fact that he has such a big heart should make recovery even faster,”

his son said.