City flags in Morro Bay were lowered to half staff Thursday in honor of former mayor Bill Yates, who passed away Wednesday night at the age of 66.
"It's a sad day at City Hall," said City Clerk Jamie Boucher. "He will be missed."
Yates served four terms as mayor for the San Luis Obispo County coastal city, starting his first two terms in 1992. He held the post again from 2002-04, and most recently from 2010-12.
The former mayor had been battling lung cancer, according to a remembrance piece in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.