By Luke Thomas
November 6, 2012
Eliana Lopez, the wife of reinstated Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, today released a video in support of District 5 Supervisor Christina Olague while condemning the exploitation of domestic violence by billionaire backers of Mayor Ed Lee for political gain.
“To me, it’s unthinkable that billionaires who don’t even live in District 5 would launch an attack against Christina Olague and to deceitfully use the issue of domestic violence as their motive,” Lopez says in the video. “These attacks against Christina are coming from the right wing. I know this, because the same special interests who are trying to defeat Christina are the same who are trying to silence me and hurt my family.”
“We must reject the bullying from the powerful people who don’t get their way,” Lopez adds. “City Hall should not be for sale. Christina Olague has demonstrated her independence and her commitment to get the job done. That is what we need and a strong woman, an independent, a creative and smart supervisor with a big heart. We need Christina Olague as our Supervisor.”
Olague, a progressive, was one of four supervisors that voted October 9 to reinstate Mirkarimi following a protracted and politically charged inquisition into whether Mirkarimi, who previously served as District 5 Supervisor before being elected to Sheriff, was guilty of official misconduct. Mayor Lee, who appointed Olague to the District 5 seat following Mirkarimi’s election to Sheriff, filed charges of official misconduct against Mirkarimi in an attempt to remove him from office in connection with a domestic violence incident between Lopez and Mirkarimi on December 31 during which Mirkarimi grabbed Lopez’s arm and caused a bruise.
Olague’s vote was viewed by Lee and his backers as a betrayal of an unsaid expectation of allegiance and blind loyalty by an appointee. To progressives, Olague’s vote was a welcomed signal of her independence from Lee.
Following the controversial vote, an oppositional political action committee – San Francisco Women for Responsibility and Accountable Supervisor – was created and financed with $100,000 from tech investor Ron Conway and his wife, Gayle Conway, and real estate investor Thomas Coates, to attack Olague in the run up to Election Day.
Conway told the San Francisco Bay Guardian that the committee was formed “solely to oppose Christina Olague because she put her own politics ahead of women and the victims and survivors of domestic abuse.” But his detractors paint a more sinister picture of Conway’s and Coates’ ulterior motives:
“But it’s eminently clear that there’s a larger agenda here, that the wealthy donors are using the domestic violence issue to get rid of a supervisor who they see as not sufficiently friendly to their economic interests,” wrote SFBG Editor Tim Redmond. “And there’s probably a bit of payback involved: Olague defied the mayor with her Mirkarimi vote — and while a lot of observers still say this was all a setup to demonstrate her independence in time for the election, Conway, one of the mayor’s closest allies and advisors, clearly didn’t get that message.”
Luke Thomas
Luke Thomas is a former software developer and computer consultant who proudly hails from London, England. In 2001, Thomas took a yearlong sabbatical to travel and develop a photographic portfolio. Upon his return to the US, Thomas studied photojournalism to pursue a career in journalism. In 2004, Thomas worked for several neighborhood newspapers in San Francisco before accepting a partnership agreement with the SanFranciscoSentinel.com, a news website formerly covering local, state and national politics. In September 2006, Thomas launched FogCityJournal.com. The BBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, New York Times, Der Spiegel, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Magazine, 7x7, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Bay Guardian and the San Francisco Weekly, among other publications and news outlets, have published his work. Thomas is a member of the Freelance Unit of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, TNG-CWA Local 39521 and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
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November 7, 2012 at 8:36 am
Ms. Lopez was using her acting skills before the Ethics Commission and here. But in her video just after the domestic violence incident, she wasn’t acting and was therefore more credible, at least the Ethics Commission felt so.
November 6, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Are there some real issues in this campaign?
November 6, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Like crime and the economy? No.
November 6, 2012 at 1:45 pm
BRAVA!!
November 6, 2012 at 10:22 am
I have to say, the Ivory Madison video was pretty powerful. This Lopez video is not.
November 6, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Quite the opposite PC— I. M. (or whatever her real name actually is) came off as quite mechanical. Her whole video was mercenary and forced in tone whereas Eliana was genuine and spoke straight from the heart. Madison is just a pathetic hustler and self-promoter with no moral scruples. Eliana is a real heroine. I believe in Eliana Lopez.
November 6, 2012 at 11:39 pm
is there an ivory madison video i don’t know about?