<\/p>\n
San Mateo County supervisors voted to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office effective immediately\u00a0in a vote that marked a dramatic and historic culmination of a bitter saga that plunged the sheriff\u2019s office into scandal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The 5-0 vote marked the first time a board of supervisors removed a sheriff from office in the state\u2019s history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToday is the end of a tragic, destructive and grossly expensive chapter in San\u00a0Mateo County history,\u201d Supervisor Jackie Speier said before the vote. \u201cI had high hopes for Sheriff Corpus \u2026 so it\u2019s tragic to see her time as sheriff come down to this.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Speier added: \u201cIn my view, Sheriff Corpus lost her sense of purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vote came after Corpus steadfastly refused to step down from her position in the wake of a blistering audit of the sheriff\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0report also alleged that Aenlle\u00a0\u2014 who is not a sworn member of law enforcement\u00a0\u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s vote followed a report that found legally justifiable grounds for Corpus\u2019 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis board does not take this action lightly,\u201d board President David Canepa said during Tuesday\u2019s special meeting, adding that he believed Corpus\u2019 actions \u201cplaced personal interest over public duty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supervisor\u00a0Noelia Corzo said the removal was based on \u201cfair procedures and evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never imagined Sheriff Corpus would make this kind of history,\u201d Corzo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Corzo said she, too, as a Latina in office, believed in Corpus’ potential. \u201cI had high hopes for what we could achieve together,\u201d Corzo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Corzo cast her vote, she asked Corpus\u2019 attorneys to return to her a \u201cchallenge\u201d coin that Corpus had given Corzo as a sign of praise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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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\u00a0\u2014 an authority they didn\u2019t previously have. And last month, Emerson\u00a0concluded that there were multiple, justifiable reasons to fire Corpus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supervisors needed a four-fifths majority vote to remove Corpus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Corpus and her counsel made their final remarks in an effort to convince the board to vote against removing her.<\/p>\n
Corpus\u2019 and her attorney\u2019s 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\u00a0woman running the department. Her counsel called the effort to remove her a \u201cpolitical hack job\u201d and a \u201cpower grab.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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They again urged two of the supervisors\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Corzo and Ray Mueller\u00a0\u2014 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\u00a0said none of the supervisors faced a conflict that required them to recuse themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d said Corpus. \u201cBut over time, I came to see the truth. The corruption, the favoritism and bias had become the silent language of power in this county.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public comment included impassioned pleas both from Corpus\u2019 critics to her most ardent supporters. Several speakers urged the board to include the public in any future process to hire Corpus\u2019 replacement\u00a0\u2014 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\u2019s office in the months and years ahead.<\/p>\n
Undersheriff Dan Perea was expected to fill Corpus\u2019 position in the interim until supervisors appoint a new sheriff or hold a special election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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