First Team Mirkarimi tried every legal maneuver in the book (not to mention crying on radio) to get out of the misconduct hearing, currently before the Ethics Commission. Then Mayor Lee fired back with the allegations of conspiracy. Then nobody could say the guy's name right. And now we have officially arrived at the point where we can start calling this thing "a circus."

That quote comes from Mirkarimi's attorneys Shepherd Kopp and David Waggoner who feel that Mayor Lee's list of 25 witnesses, which includes at least one of Ross' exes and former Chronicle EIC Phil Bronstein, would put on a better show under a tent, on a floor made of sawdust. And it's not going to be a cheap show for the city to put on either — no less than eight expert witnesses will be paid with city funds to talk about what Kopp and Waggoner still contend is a low-level offense.

As Mirkarimi's attorneys wrote in their own witness filing: "At this rate, the mayor may have to put a bond on the ballot just to finance the prosecution of this misdemeanor case. Countless murders have received less attention and resources than what is being poured into the mayor’s political attack on the sheriff.” For their part, Team Mirkarimi has listed 17 "fact witnesses," but they are expected to add on to that list with expert witnesses sometime next week.

Meanwhile, Bronstein, who is friends with star witness Ivory Madison, seems a little baffled by the whole thing himself. As he told the Chronicle about his upcoming involvement in the proceedings, "I don’t know that it’s helpful or not helpful to either side."

Previously: All Ross Mirkarimi Coverage on SFist
[Chron]