CCSF leaders chewed out by Ed Lee

Eliana Lopez, wife of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, walks through the Hall of Justice on her way to Department 24 on Thursday, January 26, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. Eliana Lopez, wife of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, walks through the Hall of Justice on her way to Department 24 on Thursday, January 26, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close CCSF leaders chewed out by Ed Lee 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

City College of San Francisco execs got an earful from a very unhappy Mayor Ed Lee the other day when he called them in on the carpet over the school's accreditation troubles - which he didn't hear about until they appeared in The Chronicle.

What really frosted the mayor was that City College officials were in his office just a couple of months back, talking up their plan to float a parcel tax for the school.

No one at that meeting mentioned a pending report by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges that blasted the school's management and pointing out "leadership weaknesses at all levels."

One source familiar with the meeting said the mayor "tore their eyeballs out."

City College spokesman Larry Kamer said, "The mayor shared his concerns and disappointments."

Lee spokeswoman Christine Falvey was similarly diplomatic, saying that "the mayor expressed his displeasure at not knowing the severity of the report, especially the concerns about the school's accreditation."

The City College officials - interim Chancellor Pamila Fisher and trustees Natalie Berg and John Rizzo - said they were surprised by the report as well. But the feeling at City Hall is that while newcomer Fisher might not have known the report was going to hit so hard, the trustees should have.

Once he gave them all a piece of his mind, Lee offered them whatever management help they might need to get the 90,000-student college in order.

Hot ticket: Suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's wife, Eliana Lopez, is likely to testify in person Wednesday at her husband's official-misconduct hearing at City Hall - but as soon as she's done, she'll be headed back home to Venezuela.

Not only is the couple's young son still there, but Lopez wants to be near her cancer-stricken father, who just underwent major surgery, said attorney Paula Canny.

Time is also tight because Lopez is wrapping up work playing a heroine in the Venezuelan war for independence against Spain, Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi, in the feature film "The Colonel's Wife."

She's scheduled to start work on another movie in September - also in Venezuela.

Food for thought: One of the restaurants contemplating putting the state-banned foie gras on the menu is Murray Circle at Cavallo Point in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The irony here is that Murray Circle can offer foie gras because it sits on federal parkland, which is exempt from the state law.

That parkland was set aside largely because of the efforts of the late Rep. Phillip Burton - brother of former state Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, who was the moving force behind the foie gras ban.

"It just shows their goddamn arrogance," Burton growled.

In the bush: Of all the arguments over installing artificial turf on the soccer fields at the far end of Golden Gate Park, the one that really caught Supervisor Sean Elsbernd's attention during a marathon board meeting was that more soccer games and lights would rob children of the opportunity to play in the natural setting of the bushes that surround the Beach Chalet.

Elsbernd, a born-and-raised San Franciscan, asked Police Chief Greg Suhr if, in his professional opinion, it was ever safe for children to play in the bushes - which for years have been used as a cover for gay trysts.

"I can tell you that the police soccer team practices there," the chief said, stone-faced.

After a pause, he added, "And we are afraid to go in the bushes."

Attention, parkers: In one small step toward sanity, the state has made it legal for motorists to park at a broken meter for the posted time limit.

The law change, sponsored by AAA and carried by state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, means people can't automatically be ticketed for parking at a busted meter.

"In these lean times, we have much more aggressive people out there handing out tickets," DeSaulnier said.

The law goes into effect Jan. 1.

In the woods: A club insider risked the one-strike-and-you're-out cell phone ban at the annual Bohemian Grove encampment up on the Russian River to inform us that that this year's headliners would include former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw, former Attorney General Ed Meese and a big-name guest yet to be revealed.

Incidentally, while many wealthy members were preparing to party down over the weekend at a pyrotechnic event called "Cremation of Care," Occupy-type protesters outside the club's Monte Rio gates were putting on their own party.

Its title: "Creation of Care."