San Francisco

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March 12, 2012 | 12:31 PM | By

Domestic violence advocate says Mirkarimi case not over

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi

San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi plead guilty today to one count of misdemeanor false imprisonment in the domestic violence case that’s plagued the new sheriff since before he took office. In exchange, the district attorney dropped three additional charges against the sheriff, including domestic violence. Mirkarimi is expected to be sentenced to three years of probation, 100 hours of community services, around $600 in fines, and a year of anger management counseling. Mirkarimi’s legal battle appears to be over, but the case is bound to follow him for years, as he defends his job, his ability to lead a law enforcement office, and his progressive political credentials. Minouche Kandel, a staff attorney for Legal Aid in San Francisco, who represents domestic violence victims in family court and immigration matters, led protests against the sheriff when Mirkarimi originally denied his guilt and called the New Years Eve incident “a private matter.” I spoke with Kandel earlier today about the verdict.

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FILED UNDER: Courts, Domestic Violence, Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco, San Francisco Sheriff's Department
January 26, 2012 | 11:47 AM | By

SF suspends medical marijuana licensing

leaf

gecko.juice

San Francisco Weekly reports that the city has suspended its medial marijuana dispensary permitting program:

Pending permits had been on hold since December, after a ruling in a state appeals court case halted similar permitting programs across California. That case was appealed to the state Supreme Court, and during the appeal, the city could resume processing permits, a spokesman for the City Attorney told SF Weekly last week.

But the city reversed its decision today. All medical cannabis dispensary permit applications are on hold indefinitely, according to Jim Soos, an assistant director of Policy and Planning with the city Department of Public Health, until the city can “receive assurance that it is in compliance with state and federal law.”

There’s speculation that the feds threatened San Francisco with a lawsuit.

FILED UNDER: Courts, Medical Marijuana, San Francisco
October 31, 2011 | 9:32 AM | By

Roundup: The race for San Francisco district attorney

As you may have noticed from the piles of candidate flyers that arrive in your mailbox every day, or the swarms of politicians hovering around Muni stops and social protests, it’s election season.

SHARMIN BOCK: Hi there, I’m Sharmin Bock, I’m running for DA. Good morning, I’m Sharmin Bock, I’m running for DA…

Now, we’ll turn to the most important local election that very few are paying attention to. Last year, Kamala Harris was elected to statewide office, which meant leaving her post as San Francisco’s district attorney. That caused outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom to do something unprecedented: he appointed his police chief to replace her. Now, to defend his seat, District Attorney George Gascon will have to fend off four competitors. I sat down with KALW’s Ben Trefny to discuss the candidates.

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FILED UNDER: Politics, Elections, San Francisco, San Francisco District Attorney
October 26, 2011 | 10:14 AM | By

Q&A: Candidates for district attorney, Part III

Sharmin Bock

One of the more important and most overlooked races going on in San Francisco right now is the campaign to be the city’s next district attorney. When Kamala Harris left the post for state office last year, outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed then-Police Chief George Gascon to take her place. Now, Gascon is running for a full four-year term, but faces stiff competition from four other candidates. Previously, we spoke with Bill Fazio and David Onek. Today, courtesy of our partners on this project at the San Francisco Public Press, we feature Sharmin Bock, a San Francisco native and longtime prosecutor in Alameda County, known especially for her work on child sex trafficking. Bock sat down with the Public Press’ Jason Winshell and Hank Drew.

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FILED UNDER: Politics, Elections, San Francisco, San Francisco District Attorney, Sharmin Bock
October 21, 2011 | 11:57 AM | By

Stabbing, shooting in Western SF neighborhoods

lawreports.co.uk

A 27-year-old man was stabbed in the Richmond and a 19-year-old man was struck by gunfire in Oceanview yesterday afternoon. No suspects have been taken into custody in either incident.

The stabbing occurred around 4 PM yesterday afternoon, when the 27-year-old man was standing next to a car on the 200 block of 4th Avenue. Another man, who appears to be known to the victim, snuck up from behind and stabbed him twice in the back. The attacker, described as a 22-year-old Asian man, fled on foot, and the victim received treatment at San Francisco General Hospital for non-life threatening wounds.

The Oceanview shooting took place shortly after 5 PM at the Love & Minnie Ward Recreational Center, where a 19-year-old man was shot twice in the knee by an unknown assailant. The victim received treatment for his injuries at San Francisco General Hospital, but was uncooperative with police and didn’t provide any information about the incident. As of October 15, there were only four shootings this year in SFPD’s Taraval District, which includes the area around Love & Minnie Ward Park. At this point last year, 25 people had been struck by gunfire. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Police, Oceanview, Richmond, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department
October 7, 2011 | 12:10 PM | By

San Francisco JTTF reforms stalled, Supervisor considering legislative fix

The struggle to bring the San Francisco Police Department’s involvement in the local Joint Terrorism Task Force back under civilian oversight is still dragging on – and the head of the FBI’s San Francisco office appears to be firmly in opposition to any reform efforts.

A memo from the ACLU of Northern California and the Asian Law Caucus to a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors indicates that Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Douglas, who heads the San Francisco Branch of the FBI, is firmly opposed to local regulations that bar police from monitoring people engaged in First Amendment activity.

The ACLU and the Asian Law Caucus say that Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Douglas informed them of her stance on altering SFPD’s participation at a May 31, 2011 meeting. The memo also states that SAC Douglas does not approve of San Francisco’s regulations restricting SFPD from monitoring First Amendment activity. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Politics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorism Task Force, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department, Surveillance
October 4, 2011 | 3:26 PM | By

Suspect arrested in Monday night Bernal Heights murder

San Francisco Police arrested a man this morning in connection with a murder that took place last night in Bernal Heights. Around 9:30 PM, SFPD officers were called to the 400 block of Franconia Street, just west of Highway 101, for a report of shots fired.

Officers found a 28-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head inside a house. The man was pronounced dead at the scene – according to the San Francisco Medical Examiner, the victim’s identity is being withheld pending notification of kin. Media reports have identified the victim as Richard Ray Fowler.

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FILED UNDER: Police, Bernal Heights, murder, San Francisco, San Francisco Police Department