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SF Ethics Commission to address contingencies of Mirkarimi case

The San Francisco Ethics Commission is set to meet Tuesday to discuss the case involving suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkirimi, but some important decisions remained that have to be made before the commission can even begin to hear from witnesses.

Mayor Ed Lee  suspended Mirkarimi without pay after he was convicted of  misdemeanor domestic violence stemming from from an incident where he bruised his wife's arm.

The  embattled sheriff spoke to KTVU on the eve of the meeting while attending the Memorial Day service at the Presidio in San Francisco.

"This is just one more choking strategy in order to make me walk away, " said Mirkarimi. "I get it. I have haters. I have people who fought hard against me in my race for sheriff."

Mirkarimi first faced the five-member Ethics Commission about a month ago. On Tuesday, he will return  to learn  exactly how the process will work.

Legal analyst Jim Hammer said the Ethics Commission has several decisions to make including; the length of the hearing and whether to allow live witnesses or only written testimony.

"The Ethics Commission is writing the rulebook on how to hold this hearing," said Hammer.

Both the attorneys representing San Francisco and Mirkarimi have lengthy lists of witnesses.

"If the Ethics Commission allows a long drawn out hearing with ten, 30, 40 witnesses and it goes on for weeks and weeks. I've got to think it's going to hurt his public standing no matter what the facts are at the end of the day," said Hammer.

Mirkarimi vowed to continue the fight to keep his job.

"What they're resorting to, I think, compromises the integrity of one of the finest cities in this planet, " said Mirkarimi. "That's why I'm not going to walk away that easily." 

The Ethics Commission main task is to make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

Tuesday, the commission will also decide if its recommendation has to be unanimous.

It will  take nine votes from the 11 member Board of Supervisors to permanently remove Mirkarimi from office.

That decision may not come until July or August.

_{Mon, 28 May 2012 23:26:09 -0700}

Attic fire uncovers pot growing operation in Oakland home

An illegal marijuana growing operation was uncovered by a small fire in the attic of an Oakland home Monday night that authorities said left most of the valuable plants inside going up in smoke.

Oakland police would not say much about the fire and officers quickly kicked out KTVU cameras after they were initially escorted into the burned home. Authorities said they couldn’t allow video of evidence in a criminal investigation. 

Firefighters found a fire in the attic when they arrived on the scene just after 5:30 p.m. Monday evening.

"There's reports that when the fire started, citizens were seen running from the house," said Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Lisa Baker.

But instead of furniture, books and home decor fueling the flames, firefighters found about 200 marijuana plants.

Baker let KTVU go inside and get video of what was left of the operation.

Firefighters said each room had different stages of the plants with lighting set up throughout the three bedroom home. 

One neighbor told us he had no idea what was happening right next door.

"Me being from Oakland, being from the streets, I never smelled anything," said neighbor Jose Pineda.  "I never got a whiff.  I know those houses are going on everywhere. I would never have guessed it.  I'm just shocked."

Firefighters got the flames out quickly and were on scene for about two hours. 

Now a criminal investigation is underway by Oakland police. Their suspects may be hard to find after blending in quietly in the neighborhood.

"People that were in the trade of marijuana, they had a certain look to them," said Pineda. "Now its like regular families, regular people just trying to make a living, I guess."

A woman identifying herself as the owner of the home told KTVU she rented it to the people living there about a year ago. 

_{Mon, 28 May 2012 21:33:35 -0700}

SF school principal to be arraigned Tuesday on DUI, hit-and-run charges

 A San Francisco school principal arrested earlier this month on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run near the Golden Gate Bridge is set to make her initial appearance in court Tuesday, a district attorney's office spokesman said.

Sheila Sammon Milosky, the principal at Paul Revere School in the city's Bernal Heights neighborhood, was arrested on May 12 just south of the bridge on Highway 101, district attorney's office spokesman Alex Bastian said.

Milosky is set to be arraigned Tuesday morning on misdemeanor DUI and hit-and-run charges, Bastian said.

She allegedly struck two cars and then tried to drive away. She was found and arrested and allegedly had a blood-alcohol content above .08, according to Bastian.

Milosky's attorney, Sam Ware, did not respond to requests for comment on the case.

Milosky previously drew criticism at Paul Revere School, which teaches pre-kindergarten to eighth grade students, for what some parents said were unfair regulations on campus.

The group Alliance of Californians for Economic Empowerment, which advocates for low-income and immigrant families, held a rally last October over rules instituted by Milosky that they said included demerits for students taking bathroom trips and prevented parents from volunteering at the school.

The group alleged that the moves were an attempt to get low-performing students to attend another school so Paul Revere's test scores improve.

School district officials defended Milosky, who is in her second year at the school, saying that all complaints made by parents had been thoroughly investigated.

_{Mon, 28 May 2012 20:08:47 -0700}

News Source: MedleyStory More Local News Stories