City planner resigns after tossing cat during Zoom meeting

A California official who cursed, drank and threw his cat during a Zoom meeting has resigned from his post, amid growing calls for city leaders to throw the book at him over the incident.

Vallejo, Calif., city planner Chris Platzer stepped down from the job on Saturday over the incident, which occurred during an online meeting with the city’s planning commission on Apr. 20. The commission met over Zoom amid broader efforts to practise social distancing due to the novel coronavirus.

“OK, first I’d like to introduce my cat,” Platzer said in the meeting, which was posted online for the public record. He could be seen holding the cat up to the Zoom camera with both hands before abruptly throwing it upward and out of the frame. The cat let out a squeak as it disappeared from view.

One city official could be seen covering his face in shock at the gesture.

Platzer also appeared to be drinking beer in the video, and he could be heard swearing after the conference ended.

“I’m going to call bull—- on you little b—–s,” he could be heard saying in the video.

Platzer announced that he was resigning in an email to the Times-Herald on Saturday, after his memorable performance in front of his colleagues.

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“I did not conduct myself in the Zoom meeting in a manner befitting of a planning commissioner and apologize for any harm I may have inflicted,” Platzer said in a letter to the paper.

He also cited the COVID-19 pandemic as he tried to explain his actions.

“We are all living in uncertain times and I certainly, like many of you, am adjusting to a new normalcy.”

The city announced on Monday that Platzer had officially resigned from his voluntary post for “exhibiting behaviour that does not model the core values of the City of Vallejo.”

Officials had scheduled a meeting to discuss removing him on Tuesday.

Vallejo officials also acknowledged concerns for the cat’s safety. They said the Solano County Sheriff’s Office will “take the lead in conducting an animal welfare investigation.”

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