The mayor of Los
Alamitos is coming under fire for an e-mail he sent out that
depicts the White House lawn planted with watermelons, under the
title "No Easter egg hunt this year."
Local businesswoman
and city volunteer Keyanus Price, who is black, said Tuesday she
received the e-mail from Mayor Dean Grose's personal account on
Sunday and wants a public apology.
"I have had plenty
of my share of chicken and watermelon and all those kinds of
jokes," Price told The Associated Press. "I honestly don't even
understand where he was coming from, sending this to me. As a black
person receiving something like this from the city-freakin'-mayor -
come on."
The Orange County
Register first reported the e-mail on its Web site Tuesday
night.
Grose confirmed to
the AP that he sent the e-mail to Price and said he didn't mean to
offend her. He said he was unaware of the racial stereotype that
black people like watermelons.
He said he and Price are friends and serve together on a
community youth board.
"Bottom line is, we laugh at things and I didn't see this in the
same light that she did," Grose told the AP. "I'm sorry. It wasn't
sent to offend her personally - or anyone - from the standpoint of
the African-American race."
Grose, who became mayor in December, said he sent an apology
e-mail to Price and her boss and also left her a voicemail
apology.
Regardless, Price said it will be difficult for the two to work
together.
"Now I am like - wow, is this really how he feels?" Price
said.
Los Alamitos is a
2ΒΌ-square-mile Orange County city of around 12,000 people. The
mayor is elected by fellow members of the five-seat City
Council.