Late Thursday Mirkarimi's defense team announced that Eliana Lopez will testify before the city's Ethics Commission July 18 or 19.
They had asked the city to pay for her roundtrip plane ticket, saying Mirkarimi had run out of money since being suspended without pay, but it now appears a group of private donors will pay for Lopez's flight.
Mirkarimi is trying to retain his job as sheriff after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor false imprisonment charge relating to a New Year's Eve domestic dispute with Lopez.
ABC7's Dan Noyes traveled to Venezuela in May to talk exclusively with Lopez.
