SAN DIEGO (AP) A San Diego city councilman's fatal cirrhosis of the liver was caused by excessive alcohol consumption, an autopsy report released Monday said.
Charles L. Lewis III, 37, died Aug. 8 after being rushed to Kaiser Foundation Hospital. He died from internal bleeding caused by the cirrhosis, and had a .03 percent blood-alcohol level and trace amounts of ibuprofen in a blood sample taken early that day.
The autopsy found more than one liter of blood in Lewis' stomach. Another liter was found in his small intestine.
The trace amount of ibuprofen ``would be consistent with the therapeutic use of ibuprofen by a person also using alcohol,'' according to a toxicology report that accompanied the autopsy report. A side effect of ibuprofen is increased risk of internal bleeding.
The report said Lewis was also taking medication for gout, the inflammation of joints caused by excessive uric acid.
Lewis was elected to the City Council in 2002. His term was marred last year when he and two other councilmen were indicted by a federal grand jury in a probe of corruption at City Hall. The three, who pleaded not guilty, were accused of accepting bribes from a strip club owner in exchange for political favors.
Mayor Dick Murphy has said a special election will be held Nov. 30 to fill Lewis' seat. But dozens of residents of Lewis' district gathered Monday, calling for the special election to be held Nov. 2, the same day as the general election.
The demonstrators said the Nov. 30 date would result in lower turnout and be expensive for the city.
Murphy said he was advised by City Attorney Casey Gwinn after Lewis' death that the city could not consolidate the Nov. 2 general election with the special election because the state deadline for consolidation had passed.
Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.uniontrib.com
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