California mayor steps down after making discriminatory remarks

PIEDMONT, Calif. (AP) — The former mayor of Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area says he will step down from the city council because he has become a distraction for the city after posting what he calls "inflammatory or insulting" remarks on Facebook.

Jeff Wieler stepped down as mayor of the tiny city east of San Francisco on Sunday, but remained a city council member.

Wieler tells the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/2x8JndK ) he has become a distraction for the city and that his resignation is effective next Tuesday.

At a council meeting last week, resident Conna McCarthy read what she claimed were Wieler postings that said: "Black Lives Matter encourages cop killing," and "Transgenders are mentally ill."

He apologized in a letter to fellow council members, removed the remarks from his Facebook page and resigned as mayor.

The Gayly - 8/31/2017 1:57 p.m. CST