San Francisco sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's ethics hearing begins on whether to oust him

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

Ross Mirkarimi

/ File, AP Photo/Eric Risberg

(CBS/AP) SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Ethics Commission opened its inquiry Tuesday into Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's fitness for office after his conviction on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.

Mayor Ed Lee suspended Mirkarimi without pay in March and is seeking his permanent ousting after the sheriff pleaded guilty to bruising his wife's arm during an argument.

This is the first time the 19-year-old ethics commission has convened a trial-like hearing to determine whether an elected official should be removed from office. It will forward its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which needs the votes of nine of 11 members to remove Mirkarimi. The mayor and his lawyers are asking for a removal recommendation.

Mirkarimi was sworn as sheriff in January after winning election in November. He previously served seven years on the Board of Supervisors.

Mirkarimi and his wife, Eliana Lopez, reportedly got into an argument on Dec. 31 over whether she could travel to her native Venezuela with their three-year-old son, Theo.

Mirkarimi admitted bruising her arm with an overly firm grip. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor false imprisonment in exchange for the dropping of three other misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced to probation and counseling.

The five-member commission on Tuesday put off deciding several key issues, such as the admissibility of a tape showing Mirkarimi's wife tearfully displaying a bruised biceptape, until further arguments are made. The hearing is to reconvene on June 28 and could feature the live testimony of Mirkarimi. The mayor is also expected to testify live at some point as well.

Complete coverage of Ross Mirkarimi on Crimesider

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by swimsea June 21, 2012 12:35 PM EDT

one arm grab does not an abuser make..and please ahendryx819...get the definition of hearsay first..before you try to use it in your argument. The issues about what is and what isn't hearsay have to do with what witnesses say...not about anything they directly observed. You want to infantilize Eliana...she doesn't need or want your misogynistic analysis.

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by ahendryx819 June 21, 2012 2:59 PM EDT: Infantilize her? Please. I'm sticking up for her. I'm not anaylizing her in any way. She was the victim, remember? Her actions have no relevance to what he chose to do. And, yes, an arm-grab DOES constitute abuse. I work in the field of domestic violence, and people have been, and can be, arrested for that. Like it or not, it IS abuse, and it IS against the law. And in referance to the hearsay argument, it doens't matter WHAT witnesses say, because Mirakimi CONFESSED. Hello??? Is it clicking yet??? HE admitted to doing it!

On a sidenote, you sound like an abuser yourself...just saying...

by swimsea June 20, 2012 8:57 PM EDT

This story makes no mention of the bombshell of the evening in that four hour hearing. go to www.sfgovtv.org...and look at the archive tape for 6/19 session of the Ethics Commission. Go in to 56:00 and listen to the bombshell..greatly discrediting the prosecution's star witness, a female vengeance superhero comic book writer.
They never thought
Ross would fight back. There is no case of "official misconduct". There is a sea of self-serving hearsay in this attempt at a political lynching. By the way, there is no allegation of beating, hitting,smacking, breaking, bloodying, just an arm grab in a fight where did objected to actress mama taking young son out of the country yet again..so soon after returning from months away from San Francisco.

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by ahendryx819 June 21, 2012 10:15 AM EDT: It doesn't matter WHAT her actions were; he chose to use violence against her, and he admitted to it. So it's not hearsay; it was completely by his own admission. Besides that, it doesn't matter how small or severe an injury is; domestic violence is still domestic violence, and it's still against the law. Oh, and one last point: people wouldn't be so pissed off at this guy, had he not CHOSEN to put his hands on his wife. This is all a result of HIS actions, pure and simple.


by ahendryx819 June 20, 2012 5:59 PM EDT: I hope he does get booted. Send these kinds of scumbags a message that it's not OK to abuse your spouse or other family members, just because you work in a position of authority.; Reply to this comment