PALO ALTO  (AP) — The associate pastor of a church in Palo Alto has resigned after criticizing the affluent Silicon Valley city on Twitter as elitist and a “den of hate.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reports Monday that Rev. Gregory Stevens resigned from the First Baptist Church of Palo Alto a week after his tweets were discussed at a city council meeting.
On his Twitter account, which has since been removed, Stevens’ also said, “Palo Alto is disgusting.”
Stevens was quoted as apologizing for bringing negative attention to the church. He said he was frustrated by what he called the city’s lack of action to address wealth inequalities.
The city’s vice mayor, Eric Fliseth, was quoted as calling the tweets vile.