When Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis told the New York Times in November that homosexuals are “committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven,” little did he know his remarks would continue to reverberate in the Bay Area city of about 120,000 and lead for calls that he resign.

The pro-family lobbying group Capitol Resource Institute reported Dec. 10, “Vallejo is the site of an escalating battle involving public statements and private morality.” As a consequence of Davis’ remarks, said CRI, “the community is divided in their reaction to this statement. Some have called for the removal of the mayor, the appointment of an openly gay individual to the Vallejo Human Relations Commission, and official recognition of an LGBT Pride month. Many of these demands are wrapped in the misguided claim that the mayor's statements violate the wall between church and state. And much of the criticism begins with the accusation that the religious community in general is motivated by hate.”