Ross Mirkarimi was ceremonially sworn in as San Francisco's 35th sheriff in a packed Civic Center auditorium Sunday and wasted no time acknowledging the legal and political challenge he faces amid a police investigation into allegations that he abused his wife.
"I am sorry that a cloud hangs over what should be a very special day for Eliana, me and my entire family, and all of you who worked so hard. They and you deserve better," he said. "But you know what? Clouds break, and the possibilities shine through."
Many in the audience of several hundred at Herbst Theatre burst into loud applause, showing a public backing for the man who just came off seven years as one of the city's most liberal members of the Board of Supervisors and whose victory in the sheriff's race was the biggest win for progressive political forces in the November election.
Sunday's celebration prominently featured Mirkarimi's wife, Eliana Lopez. She and their young son, Theo, took the stage with Mirkarimi, and she stood with her arm around her husband when he took the oath of office. The couple shared a lingering kiss after he was sworn in, and the newly minted sheriff enthusiastically acknowledged his wife during his inaugural remarks.
She also stepped in to defend her husband when he was asked by reporters about the incident after his swearing-in.
"This is a private matter, a family matter," he said, before Lopez broke in to add, "taken completely out of context."
She said, "I don't have any complaint against my husband."
When asked point-blank whether he was ever physically or verbally abusive to his wife, Mirkarimi said a simple "no."
He added that he has faith that the criminal justice system, of which he is now a part, will sort everything out.
The allegations surfaced Thursday that Mirkarimi, 50, was under police investigation for an alleged domestic violence incident involving Lopez on New Year's Eve.
Neighbor contacts police
Ivory Madison, a neighbor, told an officer that she spoke with Lopez. Madison contacted police several days later to report the incident, according to court documents. Officers obtained a search warrant to get a video camera and phone that allegedly show bruising on Lopez's arm that she reportedly received during the domestic violence and text messages discussing the episode.
Police investigators handed their case to the district attorney's office Friday to determine whether charges will be filed. If they are, and Mirkarimi is convicted, he would be prohibited under state law from serving as sheriff. Mayor Ed Lee would name his replacement.
Mirkarimi suggested Sunday that the police probe, or at least the fact that it became public knowledge, may have been politically motivated, saying there may have been "forces at work that want to stop me from becoming sheriff." He declined to elaborate.
Agnos administers oath
There was no question that the issue overshadowed what Mirkarimi described as one of the happiest days of his life.
One of his close political allies, former Mayor Art Agnos, administered the oath. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Katherine Feinstein was to do the honors, but she bowed out in light of the police investigation to avoid a potential conflict of interest should the case land in her court.
Mirkarimi worked hard to become sheriff, a job in which he will oversee jails, provide protection at City Hall and local courts, carry out evictions, and assist in some Police Department actions. He comes into the job under a major shift in California's criminal justice system, known as realignment, in which thousands of convicts are being diverted from state prisons to local jails and probation programs.
He failed to earn the backing of the police union or sheriff's deputies, but he won the coveted endorsement of his predecessor, Michael Hennessey, who served in the office 32 years over eight terms.
Like the other two major candidates in the race, Mirkarimi pledged on the campaign trail and again in his speech Sunday to carry out and build on Hennessey's legacy of providing in-custody education, health and social services programs intended to reduce recidivism.
Black incarceration rate
Mirkarimi said he was intent on cutting the incarceration rate of black men by expanding training, employment and educational opportunities with the help of City Hall and community partners.
"While the Jim Crows of yesteryear have been abolished, I also believe they've been redesigned and repackaged within the criminal justice system," he said, noting that black men account for more than half the jail population in San Francisco, a city in which African Americans account for only about 6 percent of the residents.
Mirkarimi also said he wants to create vocational programs for inmates and work with City College on post-custody education and expand law enforcement functions for sheriff's deputies.
Copyright 2012 San Francisco ChronicleAll Rights Reserved
