#California mayor resigns over ‘egregious error’ in email on police killings

A California mayor has resigned for sending an e-mail stating he didn’t “believe there’s ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer” — a message he insists was sent erroneously.

Temecula Mayor James Stewart, who was elected in 2016, stepped down late Thursday after the word “good” was allegedly accidentally added to a message he dictated by voice-text in an e-mail,  the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. At the time, Stewart was responding to a resident who had asked how the city was addressing police brutality.

Stewart, who has dyslexia, dictates the messages he sends. He insisted in this case that he never meant to express that sentiment in the Tuesday e-mail, which was later posted to social media, sparking calls for his resignation.

“Unfortunately I did not take the time to proofread what was recorded,” Stewart told the newspaper Thursday. “I absolutely did not say that. What I said is, and I don’t believe there has ever been a person of color murdered by police, on context to Temecula or Riverside County. I absolutely did not say ‘good,’ I have no idea how that popped up.”

After initially asking to be forgiven for the “egregious error,” Stewart resigned late Thursday as mayor and head of the Temecula City Council amid threats of rallies in response to his e-mail, the newspaper said.

“City of Temecula, I hear you, I agree with you, and I deeply sorry,” Stewart said in a statement. “You have every right to be hurt and offended. My typos and off-the-cuff response to an e-mail on a serious topic added pain at a time where our community, and our country, is suffering.”

Stewart, who insisted he’s not a racist, acknowledged that even his “sincerest apologies” would not rectify the controversy.

Mayor Pro Tem Maryann Edwards said in the city-issued statement that Temecula was “poised to close this chapter” and keep fighting against racial injustice.