Despite a domestic-abuse conviction, Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi gets to keep his job after the board of Supervisors refused allow Mayor Ed Lee to use official misconduct charges to get the embattled elected sheriff out of office. Voting against removal were supervisors John Avalos, David Campos, Jane Kim, and Christina Olague. Yesterday's meeting went well into the night, with scores of Mirkarimi supporters speaking in favor of the former D5 supervisor (with a few of them ridiculing domestic violence workers).

Among the supporters were former SF Mayor Art Agnos who chided the Lee regime, saying, "As a former mayor, I know extraordinary power ... During the Loma Prieta earthquake, I used the state of emergency to close neighborhoods, hold people without charges, put the army on the streets of our city. But I never had this kind of power — and no one should."

On the flip side, Katharine Berg of La Casa de las Madres, a domestic violence organization, told the BoS that retaining Mirkarimi would "send a frightening message to survivors of violence and an empowering one to perpetrators across the city."

Mayor Lee lambasted the decision for reinstatement. He also spent last night at the Metreon Target store opening, posing for pictures next to an unhappy dog during, in lieu of participating in the brouhaha at city hall.

Read SFist's comprehensive coverage of last night's hearing.

[SF Examiner]
[Appeal]