Michael Hennessey

Ross Mirkarimi Hearing: The Drama From the Eyes of Mirkarimi's iPhone

Ross Mirkarimi's text messages with his wife and campaign manager reveal a more personal side to the drama that has unfolded ever since his Dec. 31 domestic dispute, for which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor false imprisonment.Publicly released yesterday as evidence in Mirkarimi's Ethics Commission ... More >>

Are These William Carlos Williams Poems or Ross Mirkarimi Ethics Hearing Excerpts?

Here's a game. Are the following chunks of words William Carlos Williams poems or evidence in the Ross Mirkarimi Ethics Commission hearing? 1) So much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. 2) I cannot. And neither can he. You have to reject Ivory's act ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Hearing: City Attorney Releases Initial List of Witnesses to Testify

Mayor Ed Lee's legal strategy to expel suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi is taking shape as expected. Today his legal team released an initial list of fact witnesses for the Ethics Commission hearing. The witness list seeks testimony from, among others, Mirkarimi's ex-girlfriend Christina Flores, hi ... More >>

Hundreds of Ex-Cons Headed to San Francisco

​An estimated 700 ex-convicts who would ordinarily be handled by state parole authorities will be transferred to San Francisco for monitoring beginning tomorrow, and some are raising questions about whether the city is ready to deal with the influx of newly released prisoners.The process, known by ... More >>

San Francisco One of the Few California Towns with Room for Prisoners

Bevan Dufty Welcomes Ed Lee to the Race -- But Why?

One of them welcomes Ed Lee to the race, and one of them doesn't ​Mayoral candidates alike are raging over Mayor Ed Lee's abrupt entrance into the fray. But not Bevan Dufty -- at least not in public. The former supervisor, who helped Lee attain his current position as interim mayor, has bent over ... More >>

John Avalos Gets Ambushed by Run, Ed, Run Campaign

Courtesy of Avalos for Mayor campaign Avalos tells Run, Ed, Run where they can stick their campaign signs​The ubiquitous call for Ed Lee to run for mayor came knocking at the most unlikely of all places -- Supervisor John Avalos' campaign headquarters. Over the weekend, Run, Ed, Run supporters wal ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Might Not Be a Shoo-In for Sheriff After All

Will he slide into victory?​The sheriff's race is becoming increasingly more interesting to watch. First, we learned last week that Deputy David Wong, a veteran in the sheriff's race, was fired by his boss, who happens to be endorsing Wong's opponent. Now, the Examiner is reporting some more curio ... More >>

Deputy David Wong, Candidate for Sheriff, Gets Fired

David Wong's campaign is off to a rocky start​Well since we no longer have Supervisor Chris Daly and Mayor Gavin Newsom going at each other, City Hall has been a snoozefest. But wait, there seems to be a little excitement happening in the quiet corner of the Sheriff's Department -- and it doesn't ... More >>

Have S.F. Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Reached Critical Mass?

Is there such thing as too much pot?​On Monday, The Apothecarium will finally open its doors, making it San Francisco's 26th medical cannabis dispensary. Far from having as many pot clubs as Starbucks, vast swaths of San Francisco are, thanks to restrictive zoning laws, completely devoid of dispen ... More >>

Federal Fingerprinting Program May Still ID Illegal Immigrant Teens Shielded By City

Looking for the right fingerprints​This week Mayor Ed Lee announced the city would stop alerting federal immigration officials about illegal immigrant youth they book into juvenile hall on felony charges -- if the teens have family in the Bay Area.Even with this new policy, immigration authorities ... More >>

Mayor Ed Lee: City Will Shield Some Illegal Immigrant Youth from Deportation

Supervisor Campos after his law policy passed two years ago. Now it will be enforced - for some. ​Mayor Ed Lee announced Tuesday that he will begin implementing the city's controversial Sanctuary City law, only reporting illegal immigrant youth to federal immigration authorities if they have been ... More >>

Sheriff Michael Hennessey to Give Illegal Immigrants a Break

Talk to the hand, ICE.​Today we woke up to the news that Sheriff Michael Hennessey has found a loophole in the federal fingerprinting program that identifies illegal immigrants in the county jail. And as of June 1, Hennessey will no longer hold illegal immigrants booked into county jail on minor m ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi: Would He be a Cops' Cop?

Sliding into victory​The news that Sheriff Michael Hennessey is endorsing Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi as his successor hit hard this morning, mostly among members of the Sheriff's union which are angling for someone who is seemingly more of a cop's cop. Although members of the Deputy Sheriffs' Assoc ... More >>

Mother of Issiah Downes, Man Killed in County Jail, Gets $350,000 from City

Issiah Downes​The city has reached a $350,000 settlement with the mother of Issiah Downes, the 300-pound inmate whose death at the county jail was ruled a homicide blamed on San Francisco sheriff's deputies. The medical examiner said that Downes died of "probable respiratory arrest during prone re ... More >>

Jailhouse Phone Calls to Go Unmonitored -- Reach Out and Whack Someone

'Don't forget your silencer, Vito.'​Thanks to budget constraints, the San Francisco Sheriff's Department has cut back on monitoring prisoner phone calls, which, in the past, has helped prosecutors mount credible criminal cases. But now, that full-time government monitoring has gone away.The Sherif ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Running for Sheriff, Not Mayor

Mirkarimi slides right into the sheriff's race​Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has declared he will run for San Francisco Sheriff, putting an end to speculation that he might run for mayor. Mirkarimi, who represents District 5, told SF Weekly that he just now pulled papers from the elections department ... More >>

Chris Daly for Mayor?

It's all about him​SF Weekly readers might recall the ominous meeting last month when former supervisor Chris Daly vowed to haunt the moderates at City Hall. So it should be no surprise that the temperamental barkeep is now talking about resurfacing in San Francisco politics as mayor. With no othe ... More >>

Sheriff Hennessey's Retirement Called 'Open Secret'

Now what?​Sheriff Michael Hennessey's announcement that he will not seek re-election in November didn't seem to come as a surprise to those loosely connected to City Hall. On Friday, Hennessey, drafted a memo to his staff, explaining that he has no plans to run for sheriff again. "It was a pretty ... More >>

Jack Davis Birthday Bash: Sodomized With a Whiskey Bottle, Who Could Forget

When vodka doesn't do it for you... ​It's hard to believe that the Examiner today reports on the "repercussions" of the 1997 Jack Davis birthday bash without mentioning the most damning of all the party antics: A man being sodomized with a Jack Daniel's bottle.Or is it hard to believe? After all, ... More >>

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano Questions State's Sex Registration Laws

This is consensual sex​No two sex offenders are the same, which is why Assemblyman Tom Ammiano wants California to consider a tiered system to categorize those who break the state's sex laws.As he points out, there is a gradation of offenses. It's true that a consensual, sexual relationship betwee ... More >>

San Francisco's progressive Board of Supervisors now more moderate

As Interim Mayor of S.F., Ed Lee Can Shake Things Up

Moderates are Winners, Progressives are Losers in Fight to Rule San Francisco

Progressive Loser​The last two weeks at City Hall has been much like a low-budget mini-series, as the city watched progressives and moderates hit all-time lows in order to wrestle power away from one another. But now that the political waters have calmed, it's time to look at who emerged on top: W ... More >>

Ed Lee Says He was Progressive Long Before The Progressive Faction was Established

San Francisco 2011​As far as Ed Lee is concerned he invented progressive politics in San Francisco. Lee, who was appointed interim mayor Tuesday afternoon, has been pegged as a moderate by the left-leaning members of the Board of Supervisors who had attempted to get their pick, Sheriff Michael Hen ... More >>

Ed Lee Breaks Silence On Interim Mayor, Says He Will Take The Job

Finally Speaks​Apparently, City Administrator Ed Lee is taking calls -- just not from progressive supervisors.  As the Examiner reports today, Lee's buddies in Chinatown broke the news that he will take the job as Mayor Gavin Newsom's successor --  if he has to. Gordon Chin, executive di ... More >>

Ed Lee Picked As Interim Mayor

Interim Mayor​City Supervisors selected City Administrator Ed Lee as interim mayor, putting an end to a long and agonizing debate over who will replace outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom.While away in Hong Kong, Lee has been the center of media attention and political discussion since Tuesday when his na ... More >>

Progressives Say Back Room Deals Selecting Interim Mayor Make Their Head Spin

Wizard Behind The Curtain​Upon being elected as lite gov, Mayor Gavin Newsom swore off any back room deals to ensure that his replacement was politically untainted.But that message seems to have been lost on him. As the Chronicle detailed this morning, Newsom, even before Tuesday's meeting, was ap ... More >>

Bevan Dufty Says Newsom Didn't Influence His Vote For Ed Lee. Really?

San Francisco Board of SupervisorsDo I Look Nefarious?​Supervisor Bevan Dufty isn't denying that he went right into Mayor Gavin Newsom's office last night after calling a 20 minute recess as the debate over who would be the interim mayor hit dramatic heights. What he is denying is that any sort of ... More >>

Chris Daly Vows To Haunt David Chiu, San Francisco Moderates

Interim Mayor...or is he?​The Board of Supervisors is on the precipice of anointing City Administrator Ed Lee interim mayor -- although the decision didn't come without cursing, fights ... and perhaps a little backroom dealing?The progressives failed in getting their pick -- Sheriff Michael Hennes ... More >>

Condom Machines Installed in San Francisco Jail

What are you in for? ​The comparison of a major city jail and a bar bathroom is not the most apt. But, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported, both will now have condom machines. The 16 dispensers, funded by U.C. San Francisco and an unnamed Southern California nonprofit, are the next step in a s ... More >>

So You *Can* Opt Out of Secure Communities Fingerprinting Program. Will S.F. Be Allowed?

​Local officials are awaiting a response to San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey's letter yesterday, which once again asked federal immigration officials to allow San Francisco to opt out of the fingerprint ID program that targets illegal immigrants booked into jail. The request comes afte ... More >>

Immigration Activists Set to Rally Downtown Tomorrow

Jerry, we have a complaint! ​Buoyed by a federal judge's decision to block the "papers please" components of the Arizona immigration law that goes into effect tomorrow, San Francisco activists and Assemblyman Tom Ammiano are now turning their wrath on California Attorney General Jerry Brown. At a ... More >>

Chronic City: How Much Should We Read Into S.F. Police Chief's Prohibition Reference During Pot Press Conference?

George Gascon​Did San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon tacitly hint at the benefits of marijuana legalization during a press conference this week? That's one way to read the, er, tea leaves. At the conference, held Wednesday to tout the SFPD's recent raids shutting down illegal marijuana growh ... More >>

So, Top City Elected Officials Lost 2.45 Percent of Their Salaries? Here's What They Could Have Bought.

Apparently, even this guy has been forced to give up $4.90 every time he passes "Go"​The official reason that 18 of the city's highest paid elected officials will take a minuscule pay cut was a recent city charter. But you could trace this one back to the Code of Hammurabi. Way down at the end, it ... More >>

Schwarzenegger Proposal Could Burden Underfunded S.F. Jails

Be sure to wear a flower in your hairThis week has seen California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger scrounging for a few billion dollars beneath the sofa cushions after his stop-gap measures for narrowing the state's budget shortfall went down to defeat in Tuesday's special election. Among the consequence ... More >>

Cell Phoney

Making phone calls from jail, Harley Mike allegedly helped three prisoners escape and conned parole agents, sheriff's deputies, and judges.

Transcendental Incarceration

The first San Bruno Jail inmates to take part in an experimental meditation program say it has helped to free their minds, if nothing else

Hard Labor

County Jail No. 3 is a hellhole. Can an ancient, intense form of meditation improve life for the inmates?

The Injury and the Odyssey

A deputy sheriff's 10-year adventure in bureaucratic limbo

Cothran

Choke Hold on City Hall

Letters

Cothran

The Fortress on the Hill

Once, she partied with the Rolling Stones. Now, shunned by family and sued by friends, aging eccentric Arden Van Upp has retreated to her mansion.

Hemoglobin Goblins

How do people play with blood in public? Jack Boulware counts ze vays.

The Black Hole of San Francisco

This jail is a filthy, unhealthy, decrepit, barbaric nightmare. This jail will probably collapse and kill hundreds if there is a significant earthquake. The city of San Francisco keeps using this unconstitutional hellhole because people who call themselve

The Grid

Blowing Smoke

Judging Matthew Rothschild

Why is the Democratic Party elite backing an underqualified party operative for the local judiciary?

City Slackers

A guide toSan Francisco political corruption -past, present, and future