The curious case of the poop-throwing mayor


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
It was Mayor Kneier, in the driveway, with a bag of poop.
San Marino, California, resident Philip Lao says that the town's mayor, Dennis Kneier, threw a bag of dog feces at his home in retaliation for his stance against opening a dog park nearby. Lao's yard is filled with signs that declare it a "no poop zone."
Lao has surveillance cameras on his property, NBC Los Angeles reports, and says that they clearly show Kneier and his wife walking by his home on Saturday, and Kneier throwing the bag onto the walkway. Lao suggests that the gesture was the mayor's way of getting back at him for his opposition to the dog park, but that Kneier also dislikes the "no poop zone" signs; Lao has told the City Council he will not remove them until other residents take down their USC and UCLA signs. Neither Lao nor the mayor owns a dog.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The San Marino Police got involved, and after hours of crack detective work, came to the conclusion that yes, the bag had been placed there on purpose. Kneier told NBC4 on Tuesday that he wasn't 100 percent sure where he picked up the bag before placing it in the walkway, but if he could go back in time, he would have left it where it was or thrown it away in the trash. "I take responsibility for what happened," he said. "I'm sorry it happened.... This was a mistake." --Catherine Garcia
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Recipe: beef and broccoli noodles by Pippa Middlehurst
The Week Recommends A simple adaptation of a classic Chinese dish
By The Week Staff Published
-
Libya: the 'tsunami' that washed away a city
Talking Point Climate change may have made the storm more likely, but many blame failures of governance for the scale of the tragedy
By The Week Staff Published
-
Volcanoes, lakes and jungle ruins in Guatemala
The Week Recommends Discover the 'vibrant indigenous culture' and biodiverse landscape of this Central American paradise
By The Week Staff Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published