ORANGE COUNTY (CBS) — KCAL9 received a tip about a racist email circulated to some Republican Party members depicting President Obama’s parents as chimpanzees.

This week Marilyn Davenport, a Southern California Tea Party activist and member of the central committee of the Orange County Republican Party circulated what some are calling hate e-mail to an unknown number of her fellow conservatives.

Written under the words, “Now you know why — No birth certificate!”, is an Obama family portrait depicting his parents as chimpanzees.

When asked if she thought the email was appropriate, Davenport is quoted as saying, “Oh, come on! Everybody who knows me knows that I am not a racist. It was a joke. I have friends who are black. Besides, I only sent it to a few people–mostly people I didn’t think would be upset by it.”

Former Chairman of the California Republican Party Michael Schroder has demanded Davenport’s resignation saying it’s not her first brush with racist rhetoric.

In February 2009, Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose, another Orange County Republican, emailed the White House watermelon image and then apologized. While others demanded he step down, Davenport defended him. When a Newport City Councillman voted against installing grass turf near the beach because it would “attract Mexicans”, Schroder claims that she supported him as well.

“That’s three strikes,” he says.

KCAL9 reporter Stacey Butler asked Davenport if she wanted to appear on camera but she declined. She blames the media for blowing this story out of proportion.

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