(CNN) -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry is demanding an apology from a California newspaper that published a cartoon that seemed to link his push for less regulations to the recent fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14.
"The Sacramento Bee published a disgusting 'cartoon' mocking the deadly explosion in West. While I will always welcome healthy policy debate, I won't stand for someone mocking the tragic deaths of my fellow Texans and our fellow Americans. I have written the editor and asked that they apologize to the citizens of West," Perry wrote on his official Facebook page.
An editor at the paper defended the cartoon.
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U.S. President Barack Obama attends a memorial service at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, on April 25. The memorial was held for those killed in the blast at a Texas fertilizer plant. Fourteen people, nearly all first responders, died in an explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. on April 17. See photos from the explosion. Photos of the fallen firefighters stand next to their coffins at the memorial on April 25. Mourners at the memorial on April 25. Coffins containing the remains of victims from the fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, Texas, at a memorial on April 25. A firefighters honor guard stands before the coffins of fallen comrades on April 25. Firefighters salute as fire trucks and emergency vehicles pass under a flag before the memorial service on April 25. Firefighters lead the funeral procession for Capt. Kenneth "Luckey" Harris Jr. on Thursday, April 24, in West, Texas. Firefighters stand on the back of a firetruck that transported Harris' body to the Bold Springs Cemetery in West on April 24. Family and friends stand in front of Harris' casket at the cemetery on April 24. A bugler plays taps at a memorial ceremony at the site of the explosion in West on April 24. Pallbearers carry the casket of fallen firefighter Capt. Kenneth "Luckey" Harris Jr. after his funeral at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, Texas, on April 24. A memorial is set up on Monday, April 22, outside a fire station for the firemen who perished in the explosion. Flowers are tied on a firetruck on April 22 as a memorial for the firemen who died while responding to the explosion. Vanna Wainwright and her daughter Breanna take part in an open air Sunday service on April 21. Members of the First Baptist Church held their service in an open air field after their church was damaged from the explosion. Local residents attend a commemoration ceremony on April 21 for those that perished during the fertilizer explosion. Local residents attend a ceremony in West, Texas, on April 21. Residents embrace after a Sunday service at St. Mary's Catholic Church on April 21, four days after the deadly explosion. Residents collect donations on Saturday, April 20. A candlelight vigil is held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in West, Texas, on Thursday, April 18. Eric Garcia, 12, cries during a candlelight vigil in West, Texas, honoring the victims of the explosion on April 18. More than 200 people were injured and 50 homes destroyed in the small town. People gather for a candlelight vigil at a church in West on April 18. Residents tend a prayer service at St. Mary's. A girl closes her eyes during the vigil. A young mourner is comforted during the vigil on April 18. People pray during a candlelight vigil at St. Mary's Church on April 18. Residents embrace after taking part in the vigil. A woman clasps her hands during the candlelight vigil on April 18. A young man holds a candle during the vigil. West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns Photos: West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns HIDE CAPTION << < 
Photos of the fallen firefighters stand next to their coffins at the memorial on April 25. 
Mourners at the memorial on April 25. 
Coffins containing the remains of victims from the fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, Texas, at a memorial on April 25. 
A firefighters honor guard stands before the coffins of fallen comrades on April 25. 
Firefighters salute as fire trucks and emergency vehicles pass under a flag before the memorial service on April 25. 
Firefighters lead the funeral procession for Capt. Kenneth "Luckey" Harris Jr. on Thursday, April 24, in West, Texas. 
Firefighters stand on the back of a firetruck that transported Harris' body to the Bold Springs Cemetery in West on April 24. 
Family and friends stand in front of Harris' casket at the cemetery on April 24. 
A bugler plays taps at a memorial ceremony at the site of the explosion in West on April 24. 
Pallbearers carry the casket of fallen firefighter Capt. Kenneth "Luckey" Harris Jr. after his funeral at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, Texas, on April 24. 
A memorial is set up on Monday, April 22, outside a fire station for the firemen who perished in the explosion. 
Flowers are tied on a firetruck on April 22 as a memorial for the firemen who died while responding to the explosion. 
Vanna Wainwright and her daughter Breanna take part in an open air Sunday service on April 21. Members of the First Baptist Church held their service in an open air field after their church was damaged from the explosion. 
Local residents attend a commemoration ceremony on April 21 for those that perished during the fertilizer explosion. 
Local residents attend a ceremony in West, Texas, on April 21. 
Residents embrace after a Sunday service at St. Mary's Catholic Church on April 21, four days after the deadly explosion. 
Residents collect donations on Saturday, April 20. 
A candlelight vigil is held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in West, Texas, on Thursday, April 18. 
Eric Garcia, 12, cries during a candlelight vigil in West, Texas, honoring the victims of the explosion on April 18. More than 200 people were injured and 50 homes destroyed in the small town. 
People gather for a candlelight vigil at a church in West on April 18. 
Residents tend a prayer service at St. Mary's. 
A girl closes her eyes during the vigil. 
A young mourner is comforted during the vigil on April 18. 
People pray during a candlelight vigil at St. Mary's Church on April 18. 
Residents embrace after taking part in the vigil. 
A woman clasps her hands during the candlelight vigil on April 18. 
A young man holds a candle during the vigil. West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns Photos: West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns West, Texas: A community mourns HIDE CAPTION << < 
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28 > >> West, Texas: A community mourns .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} 
Forensic mappers work the crater at the site of the fire and explosion in West, Texas, on Wednesday, April 24. The plant run by West Fertilizer Co. in the small Texas town exploded on Wednesday, April 17, killing 14 people, most of them emergency responders. Dozens were injured. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on April 24 search the bank of rail tracks for evidence at the site of the explosion. Smoke billows into the sky immediately after the explosion at West Fertilizer Co. in West, Texas, on Wednesday, April 17, as captured by CNN iReporter Brian Kitchen. The deadly explosion damaged buildings for blocks in every direction. The West Fertilizer Co. lies in ruins in West, Texas, on Thursday, April 18, the day after the accident. The remains of an apartment complex lie on cars on April 18. A deer head mount sits inside a car parked next to a apartment complex damaged in the explosion. Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building, in foreground, and a nursing home on April 18. The remains of a car sit in front of an apartment complex destroyed after the fertilizer plant blast. A Valley Mills Fire Department firefighter walks the remains of an apartment complex next to the fertilizer plant on April 18. Fire personnel check out the railroad tracks near the fertilizer plant on April 18. Valley Mills Fire Department personnel view the railroad tracks near the fertilizer plant on April 18. Smoke rises April 18 from the rubble of a house next to the fertilizer plant. A railroad boxcar lies on its side near the plant on April 18. A Texas State Trooper stops people from entering a neighborhood near the plant on April 18. A chimney is the only part of a home left standing after Wednesday's explosion. Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building on April 18. Workers clean up shattered windows at a store in West, Texas, on April 18. Debris litters the fields around a fertilizer plant on April 18, the day after the explosion. The blast damaged 50 to 60 homes in a five-block area, officials said. This satellite image shows West, Texas, as captured on January 30, 2012. The fertilizer plant is on the right center of the photo, just northeast of the oval track of the town's middle school. A sheriff's deputy comforts a woman at a command post on April 18. Brandon Smith removes broken glass from the West Thrift Shop on Thursday. Workers board up a furniture shop with shattered windows on Thursday. Remains of a fertilizer plant burn in West early April 18. Water is sprayed at the burning remains of the plant. The deadly explosion leveled dozens of homes and damaged other buildings on April 18, including a school and nursing home, authorities said. A vehicle is seen near the remains of the fertilizer plant on April 18. With smoke rising in the distance, a law enforcement officer runs a checkpoint at the perimeter about half a mile from the plant on April 18. Waco Police spokesman William Swanton speaks to reporters about the explosion on April 18. Glass from blown-out windows lies shattered on the sidewalk and street after the blast on April 18. Earth-moving equipment rolls through the downtown area in the middle of the night on April 18. Shattered glass covers items in the front of a thrift store on April 18. Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes HIDE CAPTION << < 
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on April 24 search the bank of rail tracks for evidence at the site of the explosion. 
Smoke billows into the sky immediately after the explosion at West Fertilizer Co. in West, Texas, on Wednesday, April 17, as captured by CNN iReporter Brian Kitchen. The deadly explosion damaged buildings for blocks in every direction. 
The West Fertilizer Co. lies in ruins in West, Texas, on Thursday, April 18, the day after the accident. 
The remains of an apartment complex lie on cars on April 18. 
A deer head mount sits inside a car parked next to a apartment complex damaged in the explosion. 
Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building, in foreground, and a nursing home on April 18. 
The remains of a car sit in front of an apartment complex destroyed after the fertilizer plant blast. 
A Valley Mills Fire Department firefighter walks the remains of an apartment complex next to the fertilizer plant on April 18. 
Fire personnel check out the railroad tracks near the fertilizer plant on April 18. 
Valley Mills Fire Department personnel view the railroad tracks near the fertilizer plant on April 18. 
Smoke rises April 18 from the rubble of a house next to the fertilizer plant. 
A railroad boxcar lies on its side near the plant on April 18. 
A Texas State Trooper stops people from entering a neighborhood near the plant on April 18. 
A chimney is the only part of a home left standing after Wednesday's explosion. 
Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building on April 18. 
Workers clean up shattered windows at a store in West, Texas, on April 18. 
Debris litters the fields around a fertilizer plant on April 18, the day after the explosion. The blast damaged 50 to 60 homes in a five-block area, officials said. 
This satellite image shows West, Texas, as captured on January 30, 2012. The fertilizer plant is on the right center of the photo, just northeast of the oval track of the town's middle school. 
A sheriff's deputy comforts a woman at a command post on April 18. 
Brandon Smith removes broken glass from the West Thrift Shop on Thursday. 
Workers board up a furniture shop with shattered windows on Thursday. 
Remains of a fertilizer plant burn in West early April 18. 
Water is sprayed at the burning remains of the plant. 
The deadly explosion leveled dozens of homes and damaged other buildings on April 18, including a school and nursing home, authorities said. 
A vehicle is seen near the remains of the fertilizer plant on April 18. 
With smoke rising in the distance, a law enforcement officer runs a checkpoint at the perimeter about half a mile from the plant on April 18. 
Waco Police spokesman William Swanton speaks to reporters about the explosion on April 18. 
Glass from blown-out windows lies shattered on the sidewalk and street after the blast on April 18. 
Earth-moving equipment rolls through the downtown area in the middle of the night on April 18. 
Shattered glass covers items in the front of a thrift store on April 18. Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes Texas fertilizer plant explodes HIDE CAPTION << < 
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31 > >> Photos: Texas fertilizer plant explodes "Jack Ohman's cartoon of April 25 made a strong statement about Gov. Rick Perry's disregard for worker safety, and his attempts to market Texas as a place where industries can thrive with few regulations," said Stuart Leavenworth, the paper's editorial page editor. "It is unfortunate that Gov. Perry, and some on the blogosphere, have attempted to interpret the cartoon as being disrespectful of the victims of this tragedy."
Editorial Cartoonist Jack Ohman also responded to some reader criticism of his cartoon in a column Thursday.
Ohman said he stood by the cartoon and listed many reasons he believes Perry's policies deserve scrutiny.
"The Texas governor's campaigning notwithstanding, should I have used the explosion as a vehicle to illustrate my point? I did. I stand by it," Ohman wrote.
The cartoon, published Thursday, shows Perry standing at a podium in front of signs about lower taxes and lower regulations proclaiming "Business is booming in Texas."
The next frame of the cartoon shows a huge explosion alluding to the April 17 fertilizer plant tragedy in West, Texas, that killed 14 people, injured up to 200 and destroyed more than 100 homes.
Days after the cartoon was published, it was still drawing mostly negative responses on the Sacramento Bee website.
The explosion created a crater nearly 100 feet wide and 10 feet deep, and devastated the small town. Officials are still trying to determine what caused the fire that lead to the explosion.
Perry said he was offended the cartoon was published Thursday, the same day the governor, President Barack Obama and many others gathered for a memorial for the victims.
"Publishing this on the very day our state and nation paused to honor and mourn those who died only compounds the pain and suffering of the many Texans," Perry wrote.
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