Ethics to decide on sheriff's case

08.16.12 - 10:56 am | Steven T. Jones |

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The Ethics Commission is expected to rule by the end of the day Aug. 16 on whether to recommend Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi be removed from office.

The final legal arguments are over, and much of the discussion was around the technicalities of the law: What is official misconduct -- and does the conduct in question have to be related to official duties? Does it have to occur when the official is in office? There were also factual disputes over whether Mirkarimi was involved in witness intimidation and whether the mayor properly used his discretion in suspending the sheriff.

Room 263 has been packed, with a long line out the door. Mirkarimi is present with his wife, Eliana Lopez, and his mother, Nancy Kolman Ventrone. Public comment will take at least several hours, with a decision expected late in the day.

You can get regular updates at twitter.com/sfbg.

Comments

The public comment will be, of course, all pro-Ross.

When is it ever not? Only progressives show up at City Hall for this stuff. The rest of us have jobs.

But there's really are only a few issues here:

Should a criminal be sheriff?

Should someone who admits false imprisonment be in charge of our prison?

Should someone on probation be working closely with the probation service?

Should someone who assaulted his wife be presiding over DV cases?

And can Ross command any respect and credibility among LE officers and with the other city managers?

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 11:12 am

Your first point is utterly

Your first point is utterly erroneous. Tons of sour-faced women who make their living bemoaning "domestic violence" and who have no sense of proportionality got up to say how their miserable lives would be made even more miserable if one man who grabbed one arm wasn't castrated. They made a mockery of serious domestic violence concerns. Leading the charge was the extremely thick-necked Ms. Beverly Upton. One wonders if she has more in common with Melky Cabrera than her girlfriends realize.

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 12:07 pm

I feel sorry for most of

I feel sorry for most of those women, who have obviously suffered tremendous pain in their lives. But they have no right to try to work through their pain, trying for a "do over" on their painful history vicariously through the lives of others.

Beverly Upton and Kathy Black, on the other hand, should enjoy the afterlife in a Dantean splendor tailored specifically to their opportunism and hypocrisy.

Posted by marcos on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 1:55 pm

"Tons of sour-faced women who

"Tons of sour-faced women who make their living bemoaning 'domestic violence'..."

Once again, the thinly veiled sexism of most "progressive" Guardian commenters is revealed.

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 9:11 pm

Dude's got a serious case of douche-face

Like, Newsom level douche-face. It's weird, but his mugshot is actually better than this.

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 11:22 am

public comments?

the EC is acting like a court here, no? applying the facts as established by evidence to the law and then making a determination. what is the value of public comments here? To have 2 hours of people saying that this is a political witch-hunt, and 2 hours of people saying that RM is unfit for Sheriff? Public comments at this stage of the proceedings seem like a real waste of time to me.

Posted by DanO on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 1:20 pm

Ross Mirkarimi deserves another chance

Great op-ed by law professor Geoff Brown and civil rights attorney Ramin Naderi-Alizadeh in the SF Examiner~

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2012/08/ross-mirkarimi-deserves...

Posted by lp on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 2:29 pm

Everyone's sick to death of hearing about this

Please, for the love of Christ, finish this fuck-up one way or another.

Posted by Troll II on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 3:08 pm

Statement by the National Lawyers Guild

Statement by the National Lawyers Guild urges the City of San Francisco to stop using public resources to oust Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi from office~

http://www.nlgsf.org/news/statement-suspension-sf-sheriff-ross-mirkarimi...

Posted by lp on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 3:29 pm

So disappointing. The NLG

So disappointing. The NLG used to stand for actual progressive legal principle.

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 9:13 pm

Winners and Losers

I agree with Troll II. Who cares anymore. Let him serve the remainder of his term and get creamed in the next election.

THE WINNER:
Temporary Sheriff Hennessey, who is getting a classic "city family" "double-dip." She's picking up her pension (170,000 a year) and health insurance on the taxpayer's dime, whilst also getting paid to be sheriff ($199,000 a year). God Bless our "City Family"!

THE LOSER:
Little Theo. Growing up in Venezuela (yes, that's where he and Elena will end up), he will look on the Internet one day and read about his father's underpants collection.

Posted by Troll the XIV on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 4:28 pm

Hennessey's pension stopped

Hennessey's pension stopped after she had been Sheriff for three months. She's only getting the Sheriff's salary right now.

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 5:24 pm

I think you lied (again) about Hennessy's pension being stopped,

... but I'm willing to give you (another) chance at providing a citation for your claim.

Last time I asked, I only received a semi-wit snark in reply.

______________________________________________________
http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2012/08/03/supervisors-prepare-receive-mirk...
lillipublicans©, often impostered, less frequently equaled.

Posted by lillipublicans© on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 8:40 pm

YOU prove the poster wrong!

They don't have to prove what they're saying is incorrect. You're a crack Internet PI - prove them wrong. I have total faith in you.

Posted by Troll II on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 9:12 pm

But you bring up a good

But you bring up a good point, completely unexplored by the Guardian's editorial writers and the toadying commenters who dare not disagree: Mirkarimi and Lopez have a major, lifelong financial stake in the outcome of this matter. Might even drive them to lie, dontcha think?

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 9:10 pm

two pair of underwear in a

two pair of underwear in a bachelor's home do not a "panty collector" make.

Posted by Guest on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 6:34 pm

Guilty of official misconduct 4-1

Now we wait to find out if he should be removed. Regardless - GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY.

Posted by Troll II on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 5:31 pm

Not sure how this misconduct is "official"

Lowering the bar to misdemeanors before one has been sworn in will give Mayor Lee the opportunity to fire a lot of city employees.

I suspect that this will go to court, and if it does Mayor Lee may yet regret this political move.

Posted by Bob_in_Portland on Aug. 16, 2012 @ 7:07 pm

Oregon politics needs you