abc7news.com I-Team

I-Team Report Now Exhibit in Mirkarimi Case

dannoyes — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:32:34 -0500

Just did my regular check of the documents in the Ethics Commission case against San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarim. The City Attorney has submitted two pieces of video as exhibits for tomorrow's hearing that will feature testimony from Mirkarimi's wife, Eliana Lopez. The first is Mirkarimi making light of the media attention, in his Inaugural address January 8th. The second is a short clip from an I-Team report in which the sheriff's attorney, David Waggoner, questions the credibility of next door neighbor Ivory Madison. She admits urging Lopez to make a video of a bruise and contacting police against Lopez' wishes. In the clip, Waggoner talks about the comic book Madison wrote, years before the scandal erupted.

You can see our full original report here. I've left a message with the City Attorney's Office to find out how they plan on using the clip, but have not heard back. I'll update when I do.

Lopez' attorney, Paula Canny, also requested an interpreter to be present for tomorrow's testimony. During our interview in her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, it was apparent Lopez has a command of the English language, but sometimes is unclear about specific expressions.

I'll be attending Wednesday's Ethics Commission hearing; I'll send updates on Twitter @dannoyes.

Sheriff's Wife Leaves Son in Venezuela

dannoyes — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:41:17 -0500

Eliana Lopez is heading from her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela to San Franciso to testify at the Ethics Commission on Wednesday evening. Her husband, suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, faces charges of official misconduct after admitting bruising her arm during an argument New Year's Eve and pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. Her attorney, Paula Canny, says Lopez will arrive tonight or tomorrow night -- Canny doesn't want to be more specific to avoid a scene at the airport.

Canny told me the couple's three-year-old son, Theo, is not coming on the trip. When I asked why, Canny cited the cost of the plane ticket. She also expressed concern about exposing Theo to the controversy in San Francisco: "not this madness."

The "Eliana Lopez Legal Expense Fund" has raised $1,850 so far, and that covers the cost of her flight. The fund is remaining open to cover Lopez' legal bills. As the site explains, "The couple's resources are severely diminished as the Sheriff fights for his office and reuniting his family."

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee suspended Sheriff Mirkarimi without pay.

Dirty Tricks by City in Mirkarimi Case?

dannoyes — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:25:39 -0500

Tonight, I reported accusations by a lawyer for San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi that Mayor Ed Lee and City Attorney Dennis Herrera gave the sheriff an ultimatum -- resign from office or we'll make your wife's video public.

Mirkarimi's attorney David Waggoner calls that "underhanded", "unethical" and "sleazy"; Lee and Herrera deny making the offer. At the urging of her neighbor, Ivory Madison, Eliana Lopez made a video of a bruise on her arm from a New Year's Eve altercation with Mirkarimi.

This news comes on the same day Lopez' attorney, Paula Canny, filed this complaint for ethics violations by Mayor Lee and the city attorney. Canny is requesting that the Ethics Commission decide whether it was official misconduct, when the city released the Lopez video last week.

There is a similar case from 1999. San Francisco Superior Court Judge James McBride faced domestic violence charges after two altercations with his estranged wife left bruises on her arm. She accused McBride of slamming her hand into a door jam and pushing her in the face. McBride avoided prosecution for three counts of spousal abuse and one count of witness intimidation, by consenting to undergo a year of domestic violence counseling. Judge McBride kept his job.

Bounty Scandal Hits NorCal Youth Rugby

dannoyes — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:41:10 -0500

This is the anonymous letter that started my investigation into the bounty scandal in Northern California youth rugby.

The league's governing body, the NCYRA, confirmed that Wesley Van Tonder and his son, Wes Junior were suspended for 3 years, because they offered to pay players on their under 14 team if they hit the opposing players hard enough to knock them out of the match. A player on Van Tonder's Raptor team and his father testified during the hearing that the coaches offered the bounty. League officials also told me that the Van Tonders held a meeting with players after the investigation began, warning them not to talk about the bounty program "or else".

I've been corresponding with the parent of one of the targeted kids. He talks about "the dramatic effect on my son" and players on the Raptor team: "The bounty was bad enough, but their attempt to cover it up put a lot of presure on a lot of young kids, who should never have been put in that situation."

What do you think? You can leave a comment below.

Bear Hound Ban Passes in Committee

dannoyes — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:29:25 -0500

I sent Twitter updates live from the hearing this morning, into a ban on the use of hounds in bear and bobcat hunting. I sent messages along with pictures, to let you see how the hearing played out. Here are a few of them:

9:01am Overflow crowd at Bear Hound Ban hearing. Nice -- both sides in issue thanked me for last night's balanced report.

9:08am The hunters are wearing this button, complaining that the ban is in response to Bill Richards killing mountain lion.

9:19am Sponsor of bill and witnesses testifying. Hundreds of people in hall and overflow room.

9:56am Wildlife biologist from Oregon testifies dogs are important to bear research, and that they help "catch and release".

10:16am Hundreds of hunters are here opposing the bill. Still lining up.

10:46am LaMalfa calls bee expert who says bears are a threat to declining bee population.

1:14pm Hound ban passes 5-3. Now on to Appropriations Committee.

Bear Hounds Ban

dannoyes — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:13:44 -0500

Tuesday morning at 9am, the California Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee takes up a bill to ban the use of hounds in the hunting of bears and bobcats. You can read the proposed measure here and contact the members of the committee through this site.

Senator Ted Lieu is sponsoring the bill. He says dogs with their radio collars give the hunters an unfair advantage, that it's unsportsmanlike. He also says the chase is cruel, stressing the bears even if a hunter does not wind up shooting them. Further, Lieu says the hounds attack other wildlife, pets and livestock on private land.

It was important for me to have a balanced report, so I spent a Saturday night in Red Bluff with the California Houndsmen for Conservation -- 500 members at a fundraiser. They are concerned about their rights being preserved. They believe this bill is just the first step in a vegan agenda.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

You can research more on the number of bears killed in legal hunts here on the California Department of Fish and Game website.

Senator Lieu introduced the bill after California Fish and Game Commission President Bill Richards bagged a mountain lion in Idaho using hounds.

The Trouble We Go Through for Answers

dannoyes — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:57:02 -0500

You won't see all this on the news tonight, but I wanted to show how difficult it is sometimes to get answers to basic questions. This is Sonoma School Board President Gary Desmet. I'm trying to find out what he thinks about the district's $10 million solar project that isn't working. The story at 6.

Congress Demands Answers on "Death Wobble"

dannoyes — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:20:02 -0500

In response to our investigation last month, Silicon Valley Representative Anna Eshoo and the ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman, demanded answers from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). They want to find out what the agency knows about "death wobble" complaints from Jeep owners, and they question whether NHTSA should launch an investigation and/or a safety recall. You can read the full letter here.

The Congress members request answers by April 2nd, and we'll report back to you.

San Francisco Pays Big for Claims and Lawsuits

dannoyes — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:32:09 -0600

How much of your tax money is going to claims and litigation? We asked San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose for all their legal payouts from January 1, 2007 through October 2011. These included claims and lawsuits, as well as expenses associated with each case. The San Francisco total is over $212 million. Oakland comes in second with just under $50 million. San Jose said they paid out just over $10 million.

San Francisco’s City Attorney’s Office took exception to any comparison. It said San Francisco is “a unique beast” because it's a city and county. So, we asked Alameda and Santa Clara County for their numbers, too. Alameda spent about $38 million and Santa Clara said it paid out just under $41 million during that same time frame. When you add the numbers up, they look like this:

San Francisco = $212 million

Oakland/Alameda County = $88 million

San Jose/Santa Clara County = $51 million

Here’s where the numbers get interesting. San Francisco officials say San Jose may be larger when talking about population, but it is a smaller government. Oakland is smaller still in both population and government. Here’s how operational budgets breaks down:

City and County of San Francisco -- $6.8 billion

City of San Jose -- $2 billion

Santa Clara County -- $4 billion

Total -- $6 billion

City of Oakland -- $1 billion

Alameda County -- $2.4 billion

Total -- $3.4 billion

When you look at the city/county budgets along with the legal payouts, it plays out like this:

City and County of San Francisco -- 3% of the total budget

City of San Jose /Santa Clara County -- 0.8% of total budget

City Oakland/Alameda County –- 2.5% of total budget

Personal injury attorney Doug Seltzer says, “When you have $200 million over 5 years being paid on totally preventable claims, the system is broken.”

By the way, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority paid $11,241,591.65 in claims and lawsuits in the last five years. This includes expenses.

No numbers from AC Transit yet.

"Peace. Love. Foie"

dannoyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:47:16 -0600

Just got an email from Sonoma Foie Gras. Guillermo Gonzalez is contacting customers about placing their orders for Valentine's Day. And, he has a new t-shirt.

Dear Friends,
"Peace. Love. Foie"

During good times or those of adversity, we wish to keep these special words on the forefront, as they capture the essence of this gastronomic treasure, and ultimately the reason why our family learned the art of producing it, 26 years ago...

To spread the love, and share a special gift with our supporters, we're pleased to announce that we're offering our special edition 2012 T-shirt.

We appreciate your continued patronage! Be sure to check back with us for an update you (sic) on the latest regarding the upcoming Foie Gras Ban in the state of California (effective July 1, 2012), in the coming weeks.

Cheers,

The Gonzalez Family

As I reported, the California ban on Foie Gras takes effect July 1st. I tried several times to contact Gonzalez for comment, to find out about his plans. It would appear he has two options -- shut down his Foie Gras farm near Stockton, or take his business out of state.