The State - News from Sept. 24, 1986

San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey said he was kicked off the executive board of the California State Sheriffs Assn. because of his support for embattled state Supreme Court Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird. The association, which represents the state’s 58 county sheriffs, officially opposes Bird’s reconfirmation in the November statewide election. Hennessey said Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, association president, told him his expulsion from the board was necessary so that the group’s opposition to Bird “would appear unanimous.” Gates denied this, saying he simply wanted his own people on the board and did not know Hennessey’s stance on Bird. But Gates added that “the association has taken a stand against reconfirmation of Bird, and as president, I’m attempting to carry out that point of view.”