The gauntlet in San Francisco was thrown down on Tuesday, and Sheriff Mirkarimi stepped right over it. According to his lawyer, he will not be resigning.
The announcement that he would not resign came after Mayor Ed Lee issued his ultimatum: resign or face ethics charges that could lead to his ouster from office. Mirkarimi pled guilty to false imprisonment of his wife stemming from a domestic violence case that was brought against him before his swearing in as the Sheriff.
Removing Mirkarimi will eventually fall to a trial before the Board of Supervisors, a case that will need to be pressed by the District Attorney. However, the political implications of such an action could make the trial tricky, and there’s no way to know quite how it will play out.
During a meeting on Monday, Mayor Lee apparently gave Mirkarimi 24 hours to decide whether or not to leave office.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Embattled San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi will not leave his position despite an ultimatum from Mayor Ed Lee telling him to either resign or face official misconduct charges, his lawyer said this afternoon.
“I’m not aware of any plans of the sheriff to resign,” attorney Lidia Stiglich told The Chronicle. “I am disappointed that the mayor has chosen to take this decision away from the voters.”
Read the full article here.