SAN DIEGO — Mayor Bob Filner announced Friday that he will undergo two weeks of intensive therapy to improve his behavior toward women — a move that did little to quiet the calls for his resignation amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Filner told a packed City Hall news conference that he plans to go into an unnamed residential treatment program Aug. 5, where the 70-year-old mayor will be briefed each morning and evening on city business. He said he will return to City Hall on Aug. 19 ready to be "the best mayor I can be."
Nothing in the statement suggested that Filner will relinquish any mayoral powers during the two weeks.
In his two-minute statement, Filner did not address the increasing demands that he resign. As in previous statements, he acknowledged treating women poorly but stopped short of admitting to sexual harassment. Soon after the first allegations were made, Filner said in a video: "I need help."
City Council President Todd Gloria, a fellow Democrat, said Filner's plan only "prolongs the pain he is inflicting on our city at a time when San Diegans are calling for an end to this civic nightmare."
Councilman Kevin Faulconer, the senior Republican on the council, said that Filner "needs to resign and seek long-term treatment as a private citizen."
The toughest denunciation came from Councilman Scott Sherman, a Republican: "San Diegans should accept nothing less than Bob Filner's resignation and/or arrest."
Seven women have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct, including a retired Navy admiral, a San Diego State University dean, a leader in the city's tourism industry, and the head of a group of business owners who are tenants of the San Diego Port District.
Irene McCormack Jackson, his former communications director, sued him and the city Monday.
"I must become a better person," Filner said, reading from a prepared statement. "And my hope is that by becoming a better person, I put myself in a position to someday be forgiven.
"However, before I can even think of asking for forgiveness, I need to demonstrate that my behavior has changed. And that will only happen over time and only if such incidents never, ever happen again."
Filner apologized for behavior toward women "over many years" that he called disrespectful and intimidating. In a strong, clear voice, Filner said his conduct has undermined his long political career spent "fighting for equality and justice for all people."
The city was served with a subpoena Friday requiring that Filner be deposed in Jackson's lawsuit.
Jackson alleges that Filner often grabbed her in a headlock, made sexually inappropriate comments and once asked her to work without panties.
Gloria Allred, the Los Angeles attorney representing Jackson, said Filner is using "therapy as a ploy to stay in power and to try to gain sympathy."
"It is ridiculous to think that he needs therapy in order to understand that women deserve respect and should not be treated like pieces of meat," Allred said.
Gloria, the council president, noted that the City Charter provides no guidance in the case of a mayor leaving City Hall to seek therapy. As such, he said, the issue "requires us to ask in the strongest terms possible for the mayor's resignation."
The City Charter also contains no provision for impeachment. Without a resignation, the only means for ousting a mayor are a recall election or conviction of a felony. The leader of a possible recall movement said he will continue his efforts to oust Filner.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has opened a hotline to field accusations against Filner, but there is no indication that a criminal investigation is underway.
The news conference was interrupted when the mayor's microphone went dead. Filner left the room, with reporters awaiting more details. Returning when the microphone problem was solved, Filner read his statement from the beginning.
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