Finding The Best Hardware Store In Singapore

You never know when you’ll need to go to the hardware store. It’s a great place to go when you need to pick up tools or other items you might need for household repairs. With that said, you’ll want to make sure you find the best store to shop at.

Ask For Recommendations

It’s likely that your friends in the area will already be familiar with some of the local hardware stores. Talk to people and see which hardware stores they usually go to. Don’t be afraid to speak up and let people know that you’re trying to find the best hardware store near you.

When someone recommends a hardware store to you, you should take a closer look at that shop. While you won’t agree with every recommendation you receive, you can assume that there is a reason people are pointing you in the direction of a specific local hardware store.

Read Reviews

If you want to learn more about hardware stores, you can learn a great deal from reviews. When people take the time to review a hardware store, they will typically talk about the pros and cons of shopping at that store. You can use that information to make an informed decision about where you want to shop.

When you read reviews, you’ll be able to learn a lot more about local stores. You’ll be able to get other people’s perspectives, and you may find out about stores you’d never heard of before. Reviews are an efficient way to find excellent stores near you.

Browse Websites

You can learn more about a store if you visit its website. In some cases, websites will provide you with basic information about the store. For example, you’ll be able to see the hours that a store is open. In some cases, shops may have an online store, which will allow you to see some of the products that they sell.

Not every hardware store is going to have a website, but you will be able to learn a lot from the websites you do visit. This is a simple way to find out more about a store from the comforts of your own home.

Visit These Stores In Person

In some cases, it will be easier for you to determine whether or not you want to shop at a store if you visit the store yourself. When you stop by a store, you’ll be able to see what kind of selection they have. You’ll be able to focus on how you are treated by the employees that work there.

You don’t have to make a purchase when you stop by a store. You can simply browse the selection at a store and decide if you want to make a purchase.

If you’re trying to find the best hardware store Singapore, keep this advice in mind. Focus on finding the best place to shop for tools and other household essentials. Make sure it’s easy for you to get the items that you need.

Locksmith In Singapore – Ways To Hire The Best

Finding a professional and experienced locksmith is not an easy task. People always find themselves worrying and getting confused which locksmith to choose from in Singapore. The main concern being safety, professionalism, and response time. Even though some people think that they can hire just anyone offering locksmith services, it is always wise to take extra precautions to avoid more harm.

Searching for an experienced locksmith in Singapore should not be challenging if you know the right questions to ask. This way, you will be able to evaluate the best and experienced locksmith in the area. Remember, it is advisable to take time when it comes to choosing the best locksmith. If you rush in selecting a locksmith, you may end up choosing a poor locksmith. Well, below are few tips that will help you choose a professional 24 hour locksmith in Singapore.

References

References or recommendations are paramount, especially if you are new in a neighborhood or it is your first time looking for a locksmith. Friends, fam
locksmithily, neighbors, or work colleagues can recommend you a good locksmith. The fact is that if it is your first time looking for a locksmith, then you may feel intimidated. However, with the help of those close to you, you will surely get the best and trustworthy locksmith.

When someone recommends a locksmith, then chances are that they have used the service. Therefore, you will not have to worry about delivery or the quality of the service. Through their recommendations, you can assume that they are reliable and professional.

Permits/Certificates

It is hard to believe it, but there are some locksmiths that have acquired diploma certificates from various universities. This makes them more than capable of handling all security related issues. If it is possible to hire a locksmith who can prove his expertise through certificates, then it will be better for you. If they are insured, then that should be a plus. This means that you will be covered in case of damages.

However, some locksmith companies are scam, and therefore to protect yourself, it is wise to ask to see their business permits, according to the rules and regulations of that city.

Price Estimation

Price evaluation is as important as anything else. Always remember that locksmiths offer their services at a fee. This means that some offer their services cheap, others at a fair price range, and others offer this service at a high cost. Therefore, to avoid all any and all misunderstanding regarding price, it is wise to ask the locksmith to estimate the total cost for the service. This technique will help you avoid trouble in the end.

Remember, always make sure that you get precise price estimation, regarding the cost such replacement costs, labor, transportations, and much more. If you have called the locksmith, it is wise to ask for the estimation and confirm the cost when they arrive. If they request a much bigger range than what they said when you called them, it is wise not to let him begin the work.a-locksmith-contractor-working-on-a-door

Summary

Well, there you have it. All the above are the tips on ways to find and hire a reliable locksmith for your home, office, car, safe, and any other security area. These tips will make you make the right decision.

NOTE: Reliable locksmith services should come at an affordable cost. However, do not let this constrain you from getting the best service on the market. Do not waste time or money by just picking any locksmith in Singapore.

Air Conditioner Cleaning and Routine Maintenance Can Lower Cooling Bills

320px-CondicionadordearAn improperly working heating, ventilation and air conditioner (HVAC) unit can cause your home’s or office’s utility bill to skyrocket. When your heating and cooling system has to struggle to keep your home cool in the summer or warm in the winter, it will consume more energy, resulting in high energy bills. Additionally, this struggling can lead to HVAC failure. Having your aircon served regularly and doing routine maintenance can help prevent a breakdown. It is recommended that a certified HVAC technician services the system every three months.

When your air conditioner is functioning properly, it should cool your home to an ideal temperature within 10 minutes. If it takes longer than this, your unit is working too hard and should be cleaned or serviced.

What Are the Advantages of Cleaning Your Air Conditioner?

Most aircon services in Singapore recommend having your aircon chemically cleaned, especially if it is functioning poorly. Dust, dirt and debris can build up in the unit and reduce the efficiency of your system. The only way to fix this issue is to have your unit chemically cleaned. Bacteria and other microorganisms can thrive in a dirty aircon. Water alone cannot destroy microbes. Instead, you need a chemical solution to clean the unit and destroy bacteria and microorganisms from the unit.

Singapore air conditioning clean dirt and dust from the unit as well as killing any germs in your system. Additionally, a chemical cleaning agent can get into areas that are hard to reach, ensuring your unit is as clean as possible. It will help to open up any clogged valves and improve the ventilation of your system, which improves air circulation.

Expert technicians have the knowledge to take a unit completely apart; however, this would take hours to do. Instead of cleaning each individual part on the air conditioner, a chemical cleaning solution is used. This solution seeps into all of the different areas of the aircon to ensure the air conditioner is cleaned and all microbes and bacteria in the system is destroyed, which helps to improve the air quality in your home.HVAC Airmen winning on deployed frontier: one a/c unit at a time

In addition to an air conditioner cleaning tool, you will need to have the unit serviced and maintained. Routine maintenance keeps your aircon running efficiently. If there are any parts that show wear, the technician will replace them to improve performance and prevent future breakdowns.

How Can We Help?

You should have your air conditioning unit serviced and cleaned at least twice a year. Our expert technicians will ensure that your unit is maintained with regular inspections. Additionally, we will clean your unit using a chemical cleaning solution to help improve your air quality by destroying microbes and germs from your air conditioning unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE SHERIFF?

The Sheriff does more than just oversee six jails with an average daily population of 2,200 inmates. The Sheriff’s Department is an integral part of the criminal justice system. The jails are places of transition– where individuals both enter and exit the criminal justice system. But the Sheriff’s job is not to operate a revolving door. Where people go, and what they do, when they leave jail greatly affects our public safety. The Sheriff’s Department oversees rehabilitation programs and services to support people when they leave jail in order to keep them from returning.

Much of my career has been spent in some sort of public safety occupation–from law enforcement to environmental investigation. As an armed investigator in the SF District Attorney’s Office, my early law enforcement work focused on prosecution—helping the DA’s office achieve successful convictions. As Supervisor, I inherited a District of high crime and low expectations. I worked with community groups and city government to reclaim neighborhoods from serious crime and tackle its roots. As a result of my insistence for community policing and rehabilitation programs in distressed areas, my District experienced the biggest drop in violent crime citywide.

I’ve worked at the entrance to criminal justice system and at the exit. Now, I want to work in the middle to address the revolving door of recidivism – we’re simply throwing away taxpayer dollars and front-loading the police budgets by re-arresting the same offenders nearly 3 out of 4 times. This is not efficient or effective public safety.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES IF ELECTED SHERIFF?

Improve Public Safety in San Francisco: Throughout the city, our neighborhood safety is entwined with the repeat offender rate, which hovers at 64 percent for those exiting from the county jails, and 77 percent for inmates returning from the state prison system. California cities like San Francisco are front-loading general fund police budgets at ballooning costs only to see the same felons arrested over and over again. This dysfunctional merry-go-round must be stopped. We need better assessments of each inmate as candidates for rehabilitation/diversion programs or incarceration.
Make Public Safety Realignment Work: San Francisco needs to step up its approach to effective rehabilitation and reentry. However, compared to many counties in California, San Francisco does a better job of tackling repeat offender rates. California has failed to properly deal with a prison population that is per capita larger than any country in the world. San Francisco is one of the few counties not experiencing over-crowding in our jails. We will be able to absorb between 400 and 600 additional inmates returned from the state – with approximately half going into jail and the remainder into diversion programs. Effective diversion is key to saving money so that both the Sheriff’s and Adult Probation Departments will be funded sufficiently. To date, barely 30 percent of the funding will be allocated to San Francisco by the newly signed 2011-2012 state budget. As Sheriff, I will advocate relentlessly for funds, as promised by the state. Additionally, I will work with our state legislative representatives to assure that local governments are full partners with the state in implementation of public safety realignment.

Save the City Money – Help SFPD: Without depleting staffing resources, the Sheriff’s Department can assist the SFPD in shared duties. This will use public safety funding more efficiently because the difference in salary/benefits between deputy sheriffs compared to that of a police officer is almost 23 percent. Freeing up police officers from tasks that deputy sheriffs can perform will not only save money, but will also help SFPD focus on more critical law enforcement objectives.

Pilot Memorandums Of Understanding (MOUs) between the SFSD and SFPD can be implemented on several fronts, including:

Transferring prisoners from district police stations to jail;
Guarding prisoners while at SF General Hospital or at court;
Assisting with special events patrol and crowd management.

HOW WILL YOU MAKE PUBLIC SAFETY REALIGNMENT WORK?

AB 109, Public Safety Realignment, presents a dramatic shift in responsibilities for felons from the State to county jails. To address the unconstitutional conditions in California’s overcrowded penal system, under Realignment, most non-serious, non-violent offenders with 3-year maximum sentences, no prior strikes and not required to register as sex offenders will now serve time in the county jails rather than state prisons. Counties will have several options to manage the increased pressure on their jails through sentence reductions, home detention and electronic monitoring in lieu of bail. The State is also pulling back on supervising parolees, leaving the county to provide up to 3 years of community supervision.

The San Francisco County jail system will see an increase of 400-600 inmates. California has failed to deal properly with a prison population that is per capita larger than any country in the world. San Francisco is one of the few counties that isn’t experiencing over-crowding in our jails. We will be able to absorb most of these additional inmates, with approximately half going into jail and the remainder into diversion programs. Effective diversion is important to save money so that both the Sheriff’s and Adult Probation Departments will be funded sufficiently.

As Sheriff, I will advocate relentlessly for funds, as promised by the State to pay for these increased responsibilities. To date, for FY 2011-2012, barely 30 percent of the necessary funding has been allocated to San Francisco in the state budget.

Realignment will become operative October 1, 2011. In order to prepare, we must continue to plan for the transition of people and keep pressure on the state to transition adequate funds.

We actually began planning for this transition years ago. Between 2005 and 2007, I vigorously pushed the city to support restorative justice strategies, recognizing that what happens inside our local jail system directly affects public safety throughout San Francisco, especially in neighborhoods that are host to the highest percentage of parolees and probationers. Recidivism is at 65%.

From 2005 until 2008, there were two ad hoc reentry councils focused on different aspects of the reentry of people from prisons and jails to San Francisco communities. In 2008, I authored legislation unifying and strengthening these ad hoc councils through the creation of the Reentry Council of the City and County of San Francisco (see San Francisco Administrative Code 5.1), to coordinate local efforts to support adults leaving incarceration. The Council coordinates information sharing, planning, and engagement among all interested private and public stakeholders to the extent permissible under federal and state law. http://sfreentry.com

As Chair of the Public Safety Committee, I’ve held three hearings on prisoner realignment, and sponsored three laws that enable the City, and particularly, Adult Probation and the Sheriff to prepare for an unprecedented test – the infusion of approximately 700 inmates, low- level felons, into the SF County jail system. Each prisoner must assessed to determine whether they warrant incarceration, or diversion, or home detention (electronic monitoring).

In July 2011, the Community Corrections Partnership, an interdepartmental agency established by state law, chaired by the Chief Probation Officer, and the Public Safety Committee recommended, a 28-page plan outlining how San Francisco will implement Public Safety Realignment. City & County of San Francisco Public Safety Realignment & Post Release Community Supervision 2011 Implementation Plan

I will work with the State to ensure that county ideas and needs are heard in Sacramento as we all move forward to implement Realignment. Recently, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office released: LAO Report: 2011 Realignment Addressing Issues to Promote Its Long-Term Success. In assessing the realignment plan adopted by the legislature, the LAO makes several thoughtful recommendations, with which I agree:

Develop local funding allocations that are responsive to changes in county demographics, not just historical data;

Structure county realignment accounts to provide program flexibility;

Enact a statutory scheme that allows local governments flexibility in responding to local needs and preferences, encourages innovation;

Standardize reporting data statewide to promote local accountability and provide uniform outcome measures that can be compared between counties in order to better discern best practices.
HOW WILL YOU TACKLE RECIDIVISM?

Recidivism is the revolving door of repeat offenders moving through our criminal justice system. Throughout the city, our neighborhood safety is inextricably entwined to the repeat offender rate–which is about 64 percent from the county jails and 77 percent for inmates from the state penal system. This dysfunctional merry-go-round must be stopped. In order to effectively target reentry programs, we must look at who enters the system and who keeps coming back. Unfortunately, most reentry programs in San Francisco exist on grant funding. This provides a stark reminder that we must make a more enthusiastic commitment to their sustainability.
I will build on the foundation laid by Sheriff Mike Hennessey. I understand the power of redemption and the need to manage the volatile, high-risk population that chronically challenges public safety in San Francisco. Locking people up and simply hoping they rehabilitate themselves by their release date does not work. We need only look to the failed California penal system to see how this plan is unsuccessful.

Recidivism on a larger scale can no longer be treated as an afterthought –especially given the economic implications it has on our state budget. We’re simply throwing away taxpayer dollars and front-loading police budgets by re-arresting the same offenders nearly 3 out of 4 times. This is not efficient or effective public safety.

As Sheriff, I will work to synchronize service delivery with City criminal justice partners by:

Spreading out custody programs throughout the City in the neighborhoods where our clients live;

Providing child care to both male and female offenders so they can work on their recovery without worrying about their children;

Making sure programs are both culturally relevant and gender responsive;

Providing a safe environment with empathetic case managers to assure successful reentry as well as increase the likelihood of long term sobriety;

Increasing best practice trainings for both sworn and civilian staff;

Increasing the presence of 12 Step groups in the jails and provide meeting space to like-minded groups in the community to assure that our clients have as much access to self-help recovery;

Building and nurturing inmate centered programs where the inmates are held accountable to themselves and each other for the success of their program and individual recovery;

Making the programs more accessible to a larger portion of our population;

Increasing volunteer and community involvement in jails.
HOW WILL YOU BUILD UPON THE CURRENT REENTRY SYSTEM?

Sheriff Hennessey pioneered a new role for the county jail system over the last 30 years. The jails are no longer just a warehouse for people, as if inmates will rehabilitate themselves by the time of their release. Facing of significant opposition at times, Sheriff Hennessey developed many rehabilitative programs designed to assist ex-offenders to successfully return to their communities upon release from jail. There are a wide variety of Reentry programs designed to provide: education, job training, substance abuse counseling, case management, mental health care and anger management all with the goal of helping soon-to-be ex-offenders acquire the skills to reclaim or find a productive place in their communities. The capacity of these programs is directly connected to the availability of funds and resources.

As Supervisor, I successfully secured a $1 million grant from the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to help us create the Sheriff’s NoVA Program — a landmark program for violent felons. I also authored the creation of San Francisco’s first Reentry Council – obligating all local government and nonprofit stakeholders to collectively address the challenges of reentry.

As Sheriff, I will strengthen Reentry services. There are renowned programs like the Women’s Reentry Center; Cover Program, RSVP (violent/nonviolent felons); Five Keys Charter School; NoVA; Garden Project, and more that deserve a stable future. I will institute a thorough audit system for programs so we learn more than just success/failure rates of offenders who repeat.

There is a strong need to strengthen and develop programs related to the following populations:

Building on the One Family program model – domestic re-integration for multiple family members who are incarcerated at the same time (example: father and son), working with children whose parent(s) are incarcerated, as well as post release community re-integration training to assist with reuniting families;

Transgender and LGBT populations are in serious need of specialized programming and improved support while incarcerated;

Project Breakthrough for young adults needs more robust workforce placement and training system for post release preparation – the one current staffer is insufficient.
WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY FOR INMATES WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES?

Addressing inmates’ specific mental health needs requires a specialized strategy. I will seek additional resources for those suffering from mental health issues by working more closely with the public health and psychiatric care community. We also have to collaborate with outside providers to provide more effective monitoring during the probationary process.
As Sheriff, I will:

House inmates with mental health issues at San Bruno and CJ 2, not at the Hall of Justice;

Expand Jail Psych Services to 24 hour coverage, rather than the current 8 to 10 hours per day. This is crucial in light of the anticipated influx of prisoners from the state penal system where the courts have found the treatment of mental health conditions to be inadequate;

Upgrade the Jail Psych Services Budget which is insufficient under the Department of Public Health. Considering the inmate suicide rate and chronic need for specialized attention, I will pursue the development of a more modernized budget.
WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY FOR ELDERLY AND DISABLED INMATES?

Inmates with disabilities are housed at County Jail #2 and #5, which have accessible bathrooms and wheelchair accessibility. The average population of inmates with physical disabilities over the last three years is approximately between 10 to 13 inmates. 
 
As the census shows, the fastest growing population in San Francisco is a population over age 60. Like the City, the county jail system is ill-prepared to deal with the needs of this escalating demographic.
As Sheriff, I will create a Jail Advocate for Seniors and Disabled to work both in-house with a focus on the protection of inmates who may be at risk from a younger population, and in the community post-release since it’s already very difficult to obtain housing, employment and proper health care, including geriatric care. We need an advocate who is trained to assist two very specialized populations both inside and outside the jail system.

We must not only enlarge jail health services and programs designed for those inmates who are seniors and/or those with a disability, but Reentry and rehabilitation services for these two populations.

HOW WILL YOU ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS CREATED BY “SECURE COMMUNITIES”?

“Secure Communities” is the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program that requires counties to send the fingerprints of all people who are booked into jail to immigration officials, who in turn target undocumented immigrants for deportation. This program casts a very wide net–capturing individuals at the time they are arrested before they are convicted of a crime. Previously, only individuals convicted of a crime were reported to ICE. To date, 70 % of the 41,833 people who have been deported since the program’s inception in May 2009, had no criminal record, or had non-criminal offenses like traffic tickets.
This actually works against public safety, making members of immigrant communities afraid to participate with local law enforcement, hindering the reporting and investigation of criminal activity. Making local law enforcement an arm of federal immigration enforcement erodes hard-earned trust. Members of immigrant communities are reluctant to report crimes like domestic violence, or be witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of crimes for fear of deportation. This leaves us all more vulnerable to crime.

Sheriff Hennessey demonstrated significant courage by calling attention, long before any other elected official, to this counterproductive federal practice and opted out of the program. The federal government said “no can do.” But a year later, a number of local elected officials and state governors from New York, Illinois and Massachusetts, have joined the growing chorus in the need to exercise discretion by opting out of this dysfunctional and expensive program.

On the Board of Supervisors, I authored resolutions in support of San Francisco’s right to opt-out of Secure Communities. Although complicated and not popular as an issue nationwide, I will follow Sheriff Hennessey’s example by dissenting against ICE and calling attention to the dysfunctional and harmful practices by ICE.

In response to the criticisms raised by state and local officials, on August 5, the federal government decided that it could unilaterally implement this program, without state consent. Now fingerprints sent to the FBI database will also be run against the ICE data base for immigration violations, if there is a match, ICE will determine whether to detain the individual.

As Sheriff, I will continue to advocate for adequate due process protections. There are too many examples of people, including witnesses and victims being deported, even after preliminary charges are dropped or case circumstances changed. I will work with other local law enforcement officials to push back against the consequences of federal government policies that actually harm the safety of our communities.

ABOUT ROSS MIRKARIMI

Ross has called San Francisco home for 27 years. A graduate of San Francisco’s Police Academy, Ross served nine years as an armed San Francisco District Attorney Investigator. Elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2004, Ross served twice as Chair of the Public Safety Committee and passed landmark community policing, police reform and re-entry legislation. Ross lives in the Western Addition with his wife, Eliana Lopez and their 2-year old son.

Law Enforcement Experience

Although many San Franciscans know Ross Mirkarimi as the District 5 Supervisor, his background and experience in law enforcement and in formulating public safety policy make him uniquely qualified to be our next Sheriff:

San Francisco Police Academy Graduate, 1996, where he served as Class President
D.A. Investigator, Special Prosecutions Unit, San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, specializing in environmental and economic crimes
Lead investigator in one of the City’s most significant white collar crime cases against Old Republic Title Company, which triggered a nation-wide investigation
Advanced environmental crime training from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia
Naval Reserves Veteran who earned an honorable discharge from the US Navy for serving in the Reserves
Public Safety Leadership

As a Member of the Board of Supervisors since 2005, Ross Mirkarimi has demonstrated his public safety leadership:

Chair, Public Safety Committee. Ross twice served as the chair of the Public Safety Committee and is intimately familiar with the complicated issues confronting all partners in San Francisco’s criminal justice system.
Member, Budget Committee. For six years Ross has been a member of the Budget Committee where he evaluated and made recommendations on the complex financial situation confronting public safety and other City departments. He understands how to balance the multitude of competing funding needs, and broker resolution of budget issues.
Author, San Francisco community policing law. Ross authored the landmark legislation requiring the San Francisco Police Department to institutionalize community policing practices such as foot patrols.
Independent public safety leader. Ross led efforts to investigate the crime lab scandal and demanded increased accountability and transparency for our law enforcement officials and departments.
Author, Safe Communities Re-entry Council. Ross sponsored the formation of the Safe Communities Reentry Council that helps reintegrate the formerly incarcerated. Ross recognized that the reentry process is a critical opportunity to break the cycle of crime and violence and reduce California’s worst-in-the-nation recidivism rate.
See the list of public safety legislation sponsored by Supervisor Mirkarimi and enacted by the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor [Click here]
Innovative Criminal Justice Principles

As our next Sheriff, Ross Mirkarimi will maintain and expand the innovative, compassionate approach to criminal justice and public safety pioneered by Sheriff Hennessey. This approach includes:

Prisoner education and rehabilitation programs. Ross believes in the power of redemption and understands that prisoner education, anti-violence courses, substance abuse recovery programs, and productive focus while incarcerated help released prisoners re-establish themselves in their communities and prevent them committing new crimes and returning to jail.
Diversity hiring and staff development. Ross will expand the nationally recognized diversity hiring program and work with the San Francisco Police Department to deploy deputy sheriffs in ways the uses public safety funding more efficiently and frees up SFPD to focus on critical law enforcement work.
Safe, cost-effective jails. Ross will implement state-of-the-art reforms making our county jails safer and more efficient.

NEW LEADERSHIP FOR A SAFER CITY

Dear Friends,

You are cordially invited to attend the Inaugural Ceremony of Ross Mirkarimi to assume the office of Sheriff of the City and County of San Francisco.

The Ceremony and Reception will take place at the Herbst Theatre, San Francisco War Memorial, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California.

The Ceremony will begin at 2 PM on Sunday, January 8, 2012, and the Recepoption will begin at 3 PM at the Green Room (upstairs)

I look forward to sharing the day with you.

Sincerely,

Ross Mirkarimi

Editorial: Mirkarimi vs. the conservatives in the sheriff’s race

The Chronicle, Examiner and Mirkarimi’s conservative opponents promptly pounced on Mirkarimi’s proposal to give a tax break to businesses to hire ex-convicts as a cheap and effective way to reduce the crime rate. They accuse him of being soft on crime and coddling felons and putting “victimizers before victims.” Okay. What’s their plan to deal with the worsening problem of more ex-cons on the street in the context of high recidivism rates? B3

Editorial: It’s easy to forget why the race for San Francisco sheriff is so important. For 30 years, retiring Sheriff Mike Hennessey has done such a good job promoting progressive law-enforcement policies that the voters haven’t had to think much about the office. But the race between Sup. Ross Mirkarimi, former police union leader Chris Cunnie and deputy sheriff Paul Miyamoto is critical — and there’s no better evidence than the debate over recidivism.

More than 65 percent of the people incarcerated in San Francisco wind up reoffending after they’re released. That’s a huge number, something the city’s been struggling with for years. Now Mirkarimi has a proposal to address that: He’s suggesting a tax break to encourage businesses to hire ex-cons. And already, the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, and Mirkarimi’s two opponents have jumped on the idea, accusing him of being soft on crime, of coddling felons and putting “victimizers before victims.”

For the record, we’re not fond of tax breaks as a way of stimulating job creation. We opposed the payroll tax break for Twitter and we opposed the biotech tax break. We’ve never seen any credible evidence that giving one group of companies special treatment under the city’s payroll tax actually encourages the creation of a single job.

But at least Mirkarimi is trying to address a problem that is only going to get worse. Under Gov. Jerry Brown’s realignment, thousands of prisoners who would normally be sent to a state institution are going to wind up in the San Francisco jail system — and nearly all of them will ultimately be released, in the city.

If 65 percent of those people wind up committing another crime, that’s more victims, more police work, more time and expense for the courts — and more prisoners to crowd the local jails. And one of the biggest factors in recidivism is the lack of employment opportunities.

In other words, putting ex-felons to work is a cheap and effective way to reduce the crime rate. Cunnie and Miyamoto, who have both spent their careers in the criminal justice system, ought to know that.

But instead of supporting Mirkarimi’s approach — or even his overall goals — they’ve been taking a surprisingly right-wing line. Miyamoto announced that the proposal would “needlessly coddle at-risk individuals.” Cunnie charged that “the supervisor’s proposal puts victimizers before victims when it comes to incentivizing job creation.”

Never mind that the federal government adopted a similar program under the administration of that notorious criminal coddler George W. Bush. Never mind that several states have followed suit. Never mind that this is anything but a radical idea. Never mind the logic: Two of the candidates for sheriff of one of the most liberal cities in America are talking like hard-core Republicans.

We prefer direct public spending and other approaches to job creation, but Mirkarimi’s goal is entirely valid. The city ought to be putting resources into finding jobs for ex-offenders. And the fact that Mirkarimi is the only one talking about that shows had profoundly important this race is for the future of law-enforcement policy in San Francisco.

New Sheriff in Town

Earlier this month, my friends Luna Shad, Mehran, and I went to see San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi in his office in San Francisco’s City Hall. Ross (Rostam) is running for Sheriff in the upcoming November 2011 election. Though he enjoys a lot of important endorsements, including the current San Francisco Sheriff, Mike Hennessey, and the that of the Democratic Party, the competition is tight and tough. Ross has called San Francisco home for 27 years. A graduate of San Francisco’s Police Academy, Ross served nine years as an armed San Francisco District Attorney Investigator. Elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2004, he served twice as Chair of the Public Safety Committee and passed landmark community policing, police reform and re-entry legislation. Ross lives in the Western Addition with his wife, Eliana Lopez and their 2-year old son. See campaign video clip for Ross’ campaign. This is the website for his campaign: Rossforsheriff.org. Ross Mirkarimi for Sheriff headquarters is located at: 219 Seventh Street at Howard, San Francisco, CA 94103; contact phone number: 415-690-8781