SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — “Enough is enough. The time has come for Ross Mirkarimi to begin dealing with the facts. The facts are that Ross Mirkarimi pleaded guilty to an act of domestic violence against his wife and he will be on probation for the next three years. His conviction and his probation impair his ability to perform the duties of Sheriff, fall below the standard expected of public officials and constitutes official misconduct. Sheriff Mirkarimi dissuaded and demonized witnesses in a domestic violence criminal investigation, and then made numerous public statements that devalued the victims of domestic violence and the seriousness of the crime. That is not conduct we can tolerate from one of our top law enforcement officials.
Reckless and outrageous allegations of perjury have been made about my testimony before the Ethics Commission. But my testimony before the Commission was entirely truthful and based solely on the facts. The Sheriff’s current strategy to distract, misinform and misdirect the Ethics Commission, the Board of Supervisors and the public does not change that.
It is time for the Sheriff to finally and genuinely take responsibility for his own actions. His own admission of guilt is the basis for his suspension and these official misconduct hearings.
I thoughtfully deliberated my decision to bring these charges knowing the seriousness of the matter. I ask the Sheriff and his team to do the same, to respect these hearings and respect the Office of the Sheriff.”
