La Laguna Mourns Death of Ex-Councilor José Manuel Brito

José Manuel Brito Cabrera, a former Vox councilor and later an independent councilor for La Laguna City Council, has died. The city council officially announced his passing and, upon learning the news, declared two days of official mourning in the municipality.

During this time, flags on all municipal buildings will fly at half-mast as a mark of respect. This measure began immediately after the announcement and will last for the two days of mourning.

The City Council also announced that a wake will be held from early the next day in the Plenary Hall of La Laguna City Council. This space will be open for family, friends, officials, and members of the public to pay their last respects.

In an official statement, the city council publicly offered its condolences to José Manuel Brito Cabrera's family and close friends. La Laguna City Council confirmed that any further updates regarding official events related to his death will be shared through its regular communication channels.

José Manuel Brito was hospitalized on November 6 after suffering a stroke. This happened just before a municipal plenary session, while he was at the City Council preparing to attend. An ambulance immediately attended to him at the City Council, and he was then taken to a hospital for surgery.

Sources at the time reported that he was in a coma, but his condition was stable despite being serious. It was unclear then if the stroke would cause lasting effects, as he had not woken up after the operation.

Around the same time, José Manuel Brito was due to receive a medal at an event for former national police officers. Juan Manuel Hermoso, who was also a former Vox councilor and independent councilor in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, collected it on his behalf.

José Manuel Brito Cabrera was first elected as a councilor for La Laguna City Council on the Vox party ticket. In the 2023 municipal elections, Vox entered the La Laguna City Council for the first time with two councilors. In August 2024, Brito asked to leave his role as a councilor within the mixed municipal group, which included Vox, and become an independent councilor. The party confirmed this at the time.

Vox explained that this move meant he was resigning as a party member, though they noted that the provincial leadership had not yet formally received his request through their internal channels. After his departure, Vox was left with only one councilor in La Laguna City Council: Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez, who was the party's spokesperson and mayoral candidate in the last elections. This reduced Vox's representation from two councilors to one, changing its presence in the City Council.

From then on, José Manuel Brito continued to serve as an independent councilor, taking part in municipal plenary sessions without any formal ties to a political party.