Suspended San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi will return one last time in front of the city’s Ethics Commission on Thursday when the commission will make a recommendation on whether he should be removed from office.
Mirkarimi was suspended without pay by Mayor Ed Lee in March after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor false imprisonment in connection with a Dec. 31 incident in which he grabbed and bruised his wife’s arm during an argument.
The suspended sheriff has the right under the city charter to contest the matter at the Ethics Commission, which has held several hearings in the case and is expected to make a recommendation Thursday to the Board of Supervisors on whether to permanently remove him from office.
Mirkarimi’s attorneys, as well as those from the city attorney’s office, which is representing the mayor, will return to the Ethics Commission at 9 a.m. Thursday to give closing arguments. The commissioners will then decide on their recommendation.
Lee reiterated Tuesday that he thought Mirkarimi’s actions fell below the standards of the office of the sheriff.
He said, “I hope the Ethics Commission and Board of Supervisors agrees.”
The mayor will have the backing of a group of domestic violence victim advocates who plan to attend the hearing and are also holding a noon rally outside City Hall to call for Mirkarimi’s removal.
“The sheriff oversees some of the country’s most innovative anti-domestic violence programs,” Esta Soler of Futures without Violence said in a statement. “To have a convicted abuser in charge of these programs fundamentally undermines their credibility and efficacy.”
Supporters of Mirkarimi also plan to rally outside of City Hall around noontime.
The Board of Supervisors would need at least nine votes to approve the ousting of Mirkarimi, who served for seven years on the board prior to being elected sheriff last November and taking office in January.
Mirkarimi was sentenced to three years’ probation and other penalties following his guilty plea in March.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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