Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose has written in an e mailed statement that he intends to resign as Mayor at the March 3, 2009 City Council meeting. His resignation is in response to an uproar over an e mailed joke which has been interpreted as a racial slur.

AT 6:45 PM, Thursday, February 26, 2009, Mayor Grose sent out a statement which detailed the events related to the e mailed joke and his attempts to apologize for it. At the end of the statement, he wrote "At our Council Meeting on March 2nd, I will step down as Mayor."

Grose sent the ill-fated message to Keyanus Price, a Los Alamitos businesswoman, who forwarded it on to the OC Register and indicated she wanted a public apology. The Register published the story and it was subsequently picked up by many other news outlets. The story was published by news organizations and blogs from as far away as the East Coast. All of the coverage reviewed by your Editors, and we have reviewed much, was strongly negative toward Grose.

In his statement, Grose wrote "My actions are a disappointment to my family, friends, citizens and supporters in our community. Those who truly know me are aware of the person I am and the commitment I've had for many, many years in this small community. The attention brought to this matter has sadly created an image of me which is most unfortunate. I recognize that I've made a mistake and have taken steps to make sure this is never repeated. I have apologized to Ms. Price as well as my colleagues on the City Council and our dedicated city staff."

The statement did not suggest that Grose intends to step down from his Council seat, so he will still have a vote in all measures coming before the Council. Unlike the national or state governments, where the executive branch has a clear and separate legislative function, the mayor does not have any substantial law making authority. Perhaps the most impactful aspect of the mayor's authority is in chairing the Council meetings. At one recent meeting, see related article, Grose did use his Mayoral authority to cut off debate before all Council Members were ready, but that probably did not change the voting outcome. As a Council Member and not mayor, He will still have one of the five votes on the Council. Presumably, immediately upon his resignation, Mayor Pro Tem Marilynn Poe, will Chair the meeting. The Mayor is elected by the Council, so At that point, she could call for a new mayoral election.