San Diego Mayor Apologizes Amid Sex Harassment Allegations, Says He Needs Help

The mayor of San Diego apologized on Thursday for failing to respect women who worked for him after a prominent former supporter accused him of sexual harassment and urged him to resign as leader of the nation’s eighth-largest city.

Mayor Bob Filner said he needs help and pleaded for patience. Without detailing his actions, Filner, 70, called his behavior inappropriate and wrong and said he “diminished” the office.

“If my behavior doesn’t change, I cannot succeed in leading our city,” Filner, a Democrat, said. “You have every right to be disappointed in me. I only ask that you give me an opportunity to prove I am capable of change, so that the vision I have for our city’s future can be realized.”