San Marino mayor Dennis Kneier resigns over ‘poopgate’ incident

The mayor of San Marino, California, has resigned after being caught on surveillance video tossing a small bag of dog faeces into a neighbour's yard.

Dennis Kneier announced his resignation on Tuesday in a letter addressed to city council members, saying that the June 7 incident was "a lapse in judgment" and has caused embarrassment.

"I can understand why this matter has some questioning my ability to lead the council," he wrote. "I want to assure you that something like this will not happen again. At the same time, these events continue to be embarrassing to me, and to the city. Because of this, I have decided to step down as mayor."

Kneier will, however, remain on the council, where his term ends in November next year.

"Be assured that my love for the city of San Marino is not diminished, and I will continue to do my best as a council member to fulfil the duties for which I was elected, and at the same time, restore the public's confidence in me," Kneier wrote. San Marino is northeast of Los Angeles.

Vice-Mayor Eugene Sun will take over Kneier's duties until the June 27 council meeting, when councillors will select a new mayor, according to a city statement.