Rusty Hammer, business leader was 54

Russell “Rusty” Hammer, the former president of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, died Monday evening after a long battle with a rare form of leukemia. Hammer came south from Sacramento to direct the chamber in 2001 and stepped down in 2006 after being diagnosed. “He battled a courageous fight against cancer for four and a half years,” said Gary Toebben, current president of the chamber. “Rusty made a tremendous contribution to Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. He was a strong spokesman on behalf of business and understood that a strong business community was important to creating jobs.” L.A. Business Journal