Update 12:30 p.m. Various news organizations are reporting that Ed Lee has given Ross Mirkarimi 24 hours to resign or he'll face an immediate suspension and possible removal proceedings.
Update: Ed Lee's office says the mayor will address the media on the Mirkarimi case in the late afternoon.
The husband of Ivory Madison, the neighbor of Ross Mirkarimi and Eliana Lopez who handed over to police video evidence used in the criminal case against Mirkarimi, has written an editorial in today's Chronicle calling on Mirkarimi to "resign immediately." Some choice bits, written by Abraham Mertens...
Ross should...resign because it is an insult to his oath of office that, for the past two months, he paid a team of lawyers to relentlessly attempt to discredit, dissuade and harm my wife...
The last time I spoke to Eliana was when she called me on Jan. 4. I recognized what I thought was Ross' voice in the background as Eliana pressured me to destroy evidence and lie to the police. Then she repeatedly called Ivory, demanding that Ivory destroy the video, e-mail and texts from Eliana about the incident. I'm an attorney, but even if I were not, I would not destroy evidence, obstruct justice or lie to the police, and neither would my wife. Our criminal justice system can work only if most people follow the law and tell the truth to law enforcement.
After we refused to lie, Ross, Eliana and attorneys working for them attacked Ivory's character and motives. This included falsely accusing her of implausible criminal activity, such as being part of a vast political conspiracy to frame Ross, and practicing law without a license. They subpoenaed our confidential business and personal correspondence and the phone records of our friends. Reporters told us that Ross's attorneys were trying to feed them stories almost every day.
Among other efforts to silence my wife, a dramatic letter was delivered to us demanding that she not testify and falsely claiming that she would be acting illegally if she did so. Attorney Paula Canny, who Ross recently admitted is being paid for by him and his "legal defense fund," signed the letter. Full editorial
One of the original misdemeanor charges against Mirkarimi was "dissuading a witness." That charge was dropped, along with two others, as part of a deal in which Mirkarimi agreed to plead guilty to one count of false imprisonment, for which he was sentenced to three years of probation yesterday.