A longtime former California mayor has died in a horror car crash while he and his wife were on their way to visit family ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Mike Morgan, 77, was driving with his wife Donna Morgan to visit their children in Reno, Nevada, Tuesday when the crash unfolded, Camarillo city councilman Kevin Kildee told VC Star.
The father-of-two and six-term mayor of Camarillo died while his wife suffered “severe injuries,” he said.
The city of Camarillo posted a statement on X on Wednesday paying tribute to the former mayor.
“We are saddened to learn of a tragic vehicle accident yesterday, resulting in the death of former City Council member and Mayor Mike Morgan and severe injuries to his wife Donna,” it read.
Morgan spent 38 years working for Camarillo as both an elected official and through his involvement in multiple non-profit and church-related ventures, the city said.
Morgan was born in Vernon, Texas, in 1947 before moving to Camarillo in 1961, his official biography states.
He graduated from Camarillo High School in 1965 before attending Ventura College at California State University where he studied psychology. After completing his Bachelor’s degree, Morgan then took a Masters degree in public administration at the University of Southern California.
He then worked for the U.S. Probation Department and as a consultant in both housing and foreign trade before running for mayor.
The Independent has contacted the Reno Police Department and Camarillo Police Department for further information.
