San Mateo County supervisors voted to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office.
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office effective immediately in a vote that marked a dramatic and historic culmination of a bitter saga that plunged the sheriff’s office into scandal.
The 5-0 vote marked the first time a board of supervisors removed a sheriff from office in the state’s history.
“Today is the end of a tragic, destructive and grossly expensive chapter in San Mateo County history,” Supervisor Jackie Speier said before the vote. “I had high hopes for Sheriff Corpus … so it’s tragic to see her time as sheriff come down to this.”
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Speier added: “In my view, Sheriff Corpus lost her sense of purpose.”
The vote came after Corpus steadfastly refused to step down from her position in the wake of a blistering audit of the sheriff’s office published this year. The report accused Corpus of using racial and homophobic slurs to degrade colleagues, harassing perceived enemies, and engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a former campaign manager, Victor Aenlle, who became her chief of staff.
The report also alleged that Aenlle — who is not a sworn member of law enforcement — abused his power and had access to rifles with silencing devices. Corpus was also accused of creating jobs for Aenlle, including a $246,000 full-time position that was never posted publicly.
Corpus denied the allegations and spurned calls from county officials for her to leave office. In January, Corpus sued the county, seeking $10 million after claiming she was discriminated against for being a Latina woman.
Tuesday’s vote followed a report that found legally justifiable grounds for Corpus’ removal. Retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Emerson issued the report after a 10-day hearing that included testimony from 36 witnesses under oath.
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“This board does not take this action lightly,” board President David Canepa said during Tuesday’s special meeting, adding that he believed Corpus’ actions “placed personal interest over public duty.”
Supervisor Noelia Corzo said the removal was based on “fair procedures and evidence.”
“I never imagined Sheriff Corpus would make this kind of history,” Corzo said.
Corzo said she, too, as a Latina in office, believed in Corpus’ potential. “I had high hopes for what we could achieve together,” Corzo said.
When Corzo cast her vote, she asked Corpus’ attorneys to return to her a “challenge” coin that Corpus had given Corzo as a sign of praise.
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In March, San Mateo County voters overwhelmingly approved a charter amendment that gave the Board of Supervisors the ability to remove Corpus from office — an authority they didn’t previously have. And last month, Emerson concluded that there were multiple, justifiable reasons to fire Corpus.
Supervisors needed a four-fifths majority vote to remove Corpus.
On Tuesday, Corpus and her counsel made their final remarks in an effort to convince the board to vote against removing her.
Corpus’ and her attorney’s statements echoed much of what they have previously said publicly: that since becoming sheriff, the county has conspired to sabotage Corpus because they did not want a Latina woman running the department. Her counsel called the effort to remove her a “political hack job” and a “power grab.”
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They again urged two of the supervisors — Corzo and Ray Mueller — to recuse themselves from the vote, alleging the supervisors had made up their minds about the sheriff before evidence was presented. County Attorney John Nibbelin said none of the supervisors faced a conflict that required them to recuse themselves.
“I rose through the ranks of this organization with an unblemished record, serving with integrity and faith in a system I believe could change for the better,” said Corpus. “But over time, I came to see the truth. The corruption, the favoritism and bias had become the silent language of power in this county.”
Public comment included impassioned pleas both from Corpus’ critics to her most ardent supporters. Several speakers urged the board to include the public in any future process to hire Corpus’ replacement — and to make sure it was transparent. A handful of public speakers also implored the board to hire a permanent inspector general to monitor the sheriff’s office in the months and years ahead.
Undersheriff Dan Perea was expected to fill Corpus’ position in the interim until supervisors appoint a new sheriff or hold a special election.
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