Santa Barbara has lowered its city flag to recognize the legacy of Sheila Lodge, who died last week at 97 years old. 

Lodge was the city’s first woman to serve as mayor, its longest-serving mayor, and a fixture on planning review boards for decades. 

Mayor Randy Rowse asked for the city flag to be lowered in her honor, and it will be lowered for about a week, he said. 

“Everything she did before and after her service as mayor, that’s a lot of years, a lot of dedication,” Rowse said. “If anybody deserves it, it’s Sheila.” 

Lodge served on the Santa Barbara City Council from 1975 to 1981 and was the mayor for 12 years after that.

She was followed by a long line of women mayors, including Harriet Miller, Marty Blum, Helene Schneider and Cathy Murillo. 

Lodge was passionate about planning and served many terms on the city’s review boards, including the Planning Commission and the Historic Landmarks Commission. She was still a member of the HLC when she died last Wednesday. 

Lodge reportedly planned for her own end and even wrote her own obituary.

Plans for a celebration of life are pending, according to her family.  

Residents who notice the lowered city flag may also see that the national flag is currently at half-staff. That was ordered by President Donald Trump to recognize Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died Saturday at 71.