CBS 5 Poll: SF Wants Mirkarimi Out As Sheriff
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) -- A majority of San Francisco residents want Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi - recently convicted in a domestic violence case - to either step down from office or be removed by the city's Board of Supervisors, according to a new KPIX-TV CBS 5 poll released Wednesday night.
The poll found 72 percent of those surveyed believed Mirkarimi should resign his post as sheriff, with 67 percent saying city leaders should oust him if he won't go.
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Mirkarimi Officially Suspended; Interim Sheriff Sworn In
A defiant Mirkarimi on Tuesday refused to step down, prompting Mayor Ed Lee to suspend him and initiate a city Ethics Commission probe Wednesday that could ultimately lead to his removal by supervisors.
The mayor said the sheriff's guilty plea to a misdemeanor false imprisonment charge involving his wife fell "below the standards of decency and good faith."
Mirkarimi maintains his conviction does not constitute official misconduct that rises to the legal requirements to remove him.
However, the CBS 5 poll found a 66 percent majority of San Franciscans approved of the mayor's handling of the situation in seeking to oust the sheriff.
The CBS 5 poll was conducted by the firm SurveyUSA, which interviewed 461 San Francisco adults on Wednesday. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
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