Former Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums dies

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Former Bay Area Congressman and former Mayor of Oakland Ron Dellums has died.

An emotional Mayor Libby Schaaf spoke in her office Monday morning about Dellums and what he has meant to her and to this city.

She says Oakland flags are now flying at half-staff and she is in the process of reaching out to Dellum's family to figure out how to mourn as a city.

Dellums served in Congress from 1971 until the late 1990s. He then served as Mayor of Oakland from 2007 to 2011.

He was one of the first to call for the integration of gays and lesbians into the military.

Mayor Schaaf was somber and bit emotional as she remembered him and what he meant to her. She said as a young girl she was proud to have him as her Congressman and that he fought relentlessly for social justice.

Representative Barbara Lee took Dellums place in Congress. She released a statement saying "I feel blessed to have called Congressman Dellums my dear friend, predecessor and mentor. I will miss him tremendously and I will hold dear to my heart the many lessons I learned from this great public servant."

Schaaf wasn't sure yet if the funeral will be in the Bay Area or in Washington D.C.

Ron Dellums was 82-years-old.