03
Nov
2011

An Opportunity to Make History: Bock & Mirkarimi Gear Up for Election Day

Iranian American San Franciscans have opportunity to elect two of their own to law enforcement leadership in San Francisco

By PAAIA Staff

October 31, 2011, San Francisco, CA – With less than one week left before Election Day, two Iranian American candidates have an opportunity to make history by winning their election for District Attorney and Sheriff of San Francisco, respectively. Their success will have a profound impact on the Iranian American story and will pave the path for future generations of Iranian American leaders to serve as Members of Congress, Governors, and Supreme Court Justices.

Iranian Americans in San Francisco have a real opportunity to make 2011 a turning point for the community by voting for Sharmin Bock for District Attorney and Ross Mirkarimi for Sheriff.

Recent poll results from the Bay Citizen and University of San Francisco show that undecided voters could shake up the District Attorney’s race while the Sheriff’s race is still wide open. The large number of undecided voters in the District Attorney’s race means that outcome of the ranked-choice election is still not certain. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi was the first choice of likely voters in the Sheriff’s race but his challengers were not were not far behind.

Sharmin Bock, Candidate for District Attorney of San Francisco
BockSharmin Bock has worked in the law enforcement community for more than two decades. She is a tireless prosecutor and a nationally recognized leader on cutting edge criminal prosecutions including DNA cold cases and human exploitation and trafficking. Endorsed by Congresswoman Jackie Speier, the National Women’s Political Caucus, San Francisco Firefighters Union, and an extensive coalition of community leaders who support her law enforcement credentials, Bock has a real opportunity to become the first American of Iranian descent to serve as a District Attorney in the United States.

The San Francisco Bay Guardian has recommended that San Franciscans vote for her, calling her an “experienced prosecutor” and “independent”. San Francisco election law allows voters to select multiple candidates on Election Day, allowing candidates who are the 2nd or 3rd choices of voters the possibility of being elected if no candidate has a majority of 1st choice votes. As the only woman in this race, this voting system could tilt the electoral field heavily in her favor.


Ross Mirkarimi, Candidate for Sheriff of San Francisco

MirkarimiRoss Mirkarimi has called San Francisco home for 27 years. A graduate of San Francisco’s Police Academy, Mirkarimi served nine years as an armed San Francisco District Attorney Investigator. Elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2004, Mirkarimi served twice as Chair of the Public Safety Committee and passed landmark community policing, police reform and re-entry legislation.

San Francisco Sheriff Mike Hennessey,?Police Commission President Thomas Mazzucco, and the San Francisco Democratic Party, are among the many community leaders, public officials, and organizations that have endorsed Mirkarimi’s campaign. “When he took office in 2005, District Five … was plagued with violent crime. He personally appeared at every homicide scene, pushed for more police on the streets and for foot patrols and worked to organize the community around crime — and it worked. The murder rate dropped dramatically,” explained the San Francisco Bay Guardian in a ringing endorsement of Mirkarimi’s campaign. Significantly, the Guardian withheld a recommendation to vote for any other candidate in this race where voters may cast ballots for second and third choices as well.

Spread the word, encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to support and vote for Sharmin Bock and Ross Mirkarimi.

Both Mirkarimi and Bock were endorsed and supported by the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), the connected PAC of PAAIA. IAPAC supports and promotes the election of candidates for federal, state, and local office, regardless of party affiliation, who are attuned to the domestic needs of the of the Iranian American community. IAPAC also encourages and Iranian Americans to actively participate in the American electoral process and supports Iranian American candidates for public office.  



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