San Clemente Mayor Steve Swartz Dies

SAN CLEMENTE, CA — San Clemente's Mayor Steve Swartz has died, the city confirmed on Wednesday. He is survived by his wife, Nicki, and son Kyle.

He died on May 8, 2019 while vacationing with his wife in Palm Springs, according to a tweet from the San Clemente Times. Circumstances of his death were not yet released, but support of the mayor flowed across social media.

"Steve leaves behind a wonderful legacy in San Clemente as a successful businessman, a loving family man, and longtime and faithful public servant," said Mayor Pro Tem Dan Bane. "I was lucky to get to know Steve over the past few years and to call him a friend. Steve will be greatly missed."

"May He Rest In Peace," Councilwoman Laura Ferguson said over social media. "Please join me in praying for peace for his wife and son too in hopes it brings them comfort and courage to face the days ahead."

Swartz was born and raised in Southern California and graduated from Carson High School. He played football for El Camino College and enlisted in the Air Force during Vietnam, according to the city of San Clemente website. He spent over 45 years in the financial/banking industry,owned a business in San Clemente since 1989 and a home in Forster Ranch since 1993.

After military service he entered banking, progressed to bank manager before entering the equipment lease/finance business. He began his own leasing firm in the mid-seventies.

He entered the surety industry in the 80’s, starting South Coast Surety in San Clemente in 1995.

Over the years, Swartz built his company into a national surety agency that supports thousands of insurance brokers and direct accounts across the country. Steve was a pioneer in creating a wide spectrum of surety programs specifically tailored towards small to medium contractors and was a national industry speaker.

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