Santa Barbara City Council member Eric Friedman suffers heart attack Saturday afternoon

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Santa Barbara City Councilmember Eric Friedman suffered a heart attack Saturday afternoon while paddling off the city’s coast, according to a press release from Ben Romo.

Friedman, 51, represents the 5th District and was first elected to the City Council in 2017. He is currently in the midst of a five-year term that began in 2021.

The Santa Barbara City Council canceled its upcoming April 8 meeting due to Friedman’s medical incident.

Romo’s statement detailed that Friedman was sedated overnight as a precautionary measure and was awake, alert, and aware of the incident as of Sunday afternoon.

Two of Friedman’s friends were with him at the time and administered CPR immediately before he was taken to Cottage Hospital for further care, according to Romo’s statement.

Friedman’s family asks the public not to contact him during this time so he can focus on his health, but they thank everyone for their support and well wishes, according to Romo.

The family also noted that Friedman had no history of heart disease or prior symptoms and is encouraging everyone to become CPR certified in light of this incident, Romo added.