Ross Mirkarimi | |
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Mirkarimi in 2008
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Sheriff of the City and County of San Francisco | |
In office October 10, 2012 – January 7, 2016 |
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Mayor | Ed Lee |
Preceded by | Vicki Hennessy (Interim) |
Succeeded by | Vicki Hennessy |
In office January 7, 2012 – March 20, 2012 |
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Mayor | Ed Lee |
Preceded by | Michael Hennessey |
Succeeded by | Vicki Hennessy (Interim) |
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from District 5 |
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In office 2005–2012 |
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Mayor |
Gavin Newsom Ed Lee |
Preceded by | Matt Gonzalez |
Succeeded by | Christina Olague |
Personal details | |
Born |
Chicago, Illinois |
August 4, 1961
Nationality | United States |
Political party | Democratic (since 2010) |
Other political affiliations |
Green (founding non-member) |
Spouse(s) | Eliana Lopez |
Children | Theo Mirkarimi |
Residence | San Francisco, California |
Alma mater |
St. Louis University Golden Gate University University of San Francisco |
Occupation | Politician |
Rostam "Ross" Mirkarimi (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician and the former Sheriff of San Francisco. Prior to being sheriff, he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, where he represented District 5.
Mirkarimi is a co-founder of the Green Party of California. Elected as a supervisor, Mirkarimi received national attention in 2007 when he introduced the first legislation prohibiting the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags by large supermarkets and drugstores, making San Francisco the first city to do so.
In March 2010, Mirkarimi became a Democrat and he was elected sheriff in November 2011. He served from January to March 2012, at which time he was charged with domestic violence battery, child endangerment, and dissuading a witness in connection with a December 31, 2011 New Year's Eve altercation with his wife, and he was suspended from office pending an ethics investigation. Mirkarimi pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor false imprisonment, but was not removed from office. He lost his reelection bid to Vicki Hennessy in 2015.
Rostam Mirkarimi was born in Chicago to Nancy Kolman, a 19-year-old descended from Russian Jews, and Hamid Mirkarimi, an Iranian immigrant. His parents divorced when he was 5, and he moved with his mother to Jamestown, Rhode Island. He rarely saw his father. Mirkarimi graduated from the Catholic, all-male Bishop Hendricken High School in 1979. "I totally credit my childhood in Jamestown for my green views," Mirkarimi said. "I'll never forget living near Fort Getty and exploring the unspoiled island with my dog Oscar when I was a boy."