Seven men have applied to be the next sheriff of San Mateo County, vying to take over a position that has remained notorious for scandal and controversy for nearly two decades.
The job application to become the next sheriff closed at noon Wednesday. Shortly after, each candidates’ application and resumes were published on the county’s website inviting all to consider who is best qualified to hopefully close a chapter of turmoil.
Whoever is to be the next sheriff of San Mateo County follows a historical occupant of the position. Former Sheriff Christina Corpus was both the first woman and Latina to hold the position in the county, as well as the first sheriff in the state to be removed from the position without a recall effort or civil grand jury procedure.
The sheriff oversees more than 800 sworn personnel and professional staff and largely polices the unincorporated areas of San Mateo County, including North Fair Oaks and a majority of the coastside. It also provides police services to contract cities of Half Moon Bay, Millbrae and San Carlos, the towns of Portola Valley and Woodside, and transportation agencies Caltrain and SamTrans.
A critical component of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is its operation and maintenance of the county’s two adult correctional facilities, the Maguire Correctional Facility and the Maple Street Correctional Center.
Candidate applications were due on Wednesday. At 1 p.m. Thursday, the Board of Supervisors will conduct interviews of the candidates and select finalists in a public meeting. It is unclear how many finalists will be selected.
At 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, the board will host a public candidate forum with a moderated Q&A session with finalists. The public can submit suggested questions at www.smcgov.org/ceo/new-sheriff by Friday, Nov. 7.
Following the public forum, the Board of Supervisors will do a final round of questions, make a final decision and swear in the next sheriff at the Board of Supervisors meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12.
With 27 years of experience in law enforcement, Binder is the only candidate who has experience serving on an executive team of a Sheriff’s Office.
In November 2020, Binder became the undersheriff of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and held the position until December 2024. Binder oversaw a $551 million budget and a 1,893-person staff, comparably larger than San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office’s respective budget and staff.
As undersheriff, Binder worked under former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith — who retired before she was convicted of grand jury corruption charges — and current Sheriff Bob Jonsen. When Smith retired early, Binder was acting sheriff for two months before Jonsen took office.
Binder has experience overseeing three jail facilities with an average daily population of around 2,900 individuals, according to his application.
Binder’s three priorities include stabilizing and rebuilding the organization with a focus on employee wellness, bringing back fiscal responsibility and enhancing the safety and security of correctional facilities.
“I collaborate well with others by nature, and although I have a strong command presence, I do not have an overbearing leadership style,” Binder wrote in his application. “I believe synergy and effectiveness are maximized when a county team functions well together.”
Binder is currently the interim chief of the Gilroy Police Department, a position he has held since June 2. Binder moved to San Mateo County to qualify for the sheriff position on Nov. 1, according to his application.
A local, Davis began his career in law enforcement 36 years ago in San Mateo County, ultimately rising to the position of Hillsborough chief of police.
Davis also has experience working several countywide tactical teams, including the Counter-Terrorism Team and the County-Wide Gang Task Force. This experience showed Davis the “power of this county’s collaborative public safety system,” according to his application.
Davis’ three priorities as sheriff would be to “restore accountability, rebuild community trust and empower staff at all levels,” according to his application.
“I will allow staff to do their work,” Davis said in his video. “When professionals are empowered, they deliver and public safety thrives.”
Davis said a “debt of gratitude” is owed to the staff of the Sheriff’s Office for standing tall “in the face of extraordinary difficulty and unfairness.” Davis said leaders from within the Sheriff’s Office approached him and asked if he would run for sheriff.
Davis said he is ready to work collaboratively with the Board of Supervisors, County Executive Mike Callagy and county staff to ensure the Sheriff’s Office is operating effectively.
Davis is currently the city manager of Hillsborough. In this role, Davis oversees a staff of 206 and a budget of $127 million, and he has gained experience working productively with labor unions, he said.
Self-described as a fresh outside perspective to aid a divided agency in need of healing, Lazar comes from the San Francisco Police Department where he served as the assistant chief of operations for the last three years before retiring in July.
In the assistant chief role, Lazar was responsible for day-to-day operations and oversaw a staff of approximately 1,700, double the size of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. Lazar has worked directly with complex budgets for large departments.
With more than 33 years of law enforcement experience, Lazar’s expertise is entirely from his time at a police department and he has not worked in a county correctional facility. However, he does have experience overseeing personnel at local detention centers before they were transported to county jail.
Acknowledging the scandal under former Sheriff Corpus’ leadership — which Lazar described as “an embarrassment to the profession” — Lazar said the problems were preventable. The significant leadership challenges and setbacks have only led to division and mistrust, Lazar said.
Lazar said his priorities include healing the divided agency by bringing back professional and integrity, to show support to rank-and-file, and make San Mateo County the “safest county in the state, if not the nation,” according to his application.
What solidified Lazar’s decision to run was the story of Detective Carryn Barker, who won a $8 million sexual harassment suit settlement after her experiences working on the SWAT team. Lazar said as sheriff, his role is primarily to “support the men and women who do this incredible work.”
Lazar lived in San Carlos from 2001 to 2005. He moved back to the county Nov. 1 to qualify for the sheriff position.
Lee has 26 years of service across both the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.
Recently promoted as captain of the Richmond District Police Station, Lee oversees a workforce of approximately 75 sworn and civilian employees. He oversees an annual budget of around $15 million.
His guiding principles are to lead by example, empower people, collaborate and listen, and serve with empathy, according to his application.
One of Lee’s three priorities as sheriff would be to strengthen community trust by implementing town halls and online data dashboards and provide multilingual outreach. Lee also looks to modernize public safety and technology and making data-driven decisions. Employee wellness and professional development will also be a focus area, he said.
Lee was a deputy sheriff for seven years for the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department before becoming a sergeant for the police department. As a deputy, Lee worked in corrections and developed a “critical understanding that a jail’s success is measured not solely by security, but by safety, dignity and rehabilitation.”
As sheriff overseeing the correctional facilities in San Mateo County, Lee would focus on “safety first, rehabilitation through opportunity, and transparency with community oversight,” according to his application.
Lee has lived in the county for over 20 years.
With more than 25 years of law enforcement experience overall, Travis brings 14 years of experience working in the Solano County Sheriff’s Office where he rose to the rank of lieutenant.
At the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, Travis was commander of the court services bureau supervising 84 employees. Travis said he “did not directly operate in the jail division,” but was a part of management discussions regarding program implementation, challenges and grievances.
“I believe correctional facilities should be more than places of confinement; they should be centers for rehabilitation, education and human growth,” according to his application.
Travis is currently the director of Public Safety for the Solano Community College District, a role in which he has served for the past three years. The agency serves four campuses with over 10,000 students and 1,100 staff members.
Travis’ three priorities as sheriff include restoring integrity in trust within the office and public, establishing a healthy culture internally, and reducing violence and increasing community safety.
Particular focuses will be to “reset” with labor groups and adopt retaliation-free reporting and creating targeted strategies for fentanyl overdoses
Born in Vietnam, Travis “began his American journey” in San Mateo County and believes serving as the next sheriff would be “both a homecoming and a fulfillment of purpose.”
Travis is only one of two candidates that was explicit about his support for protecting the rights of immigrants in San Mateo County and not cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers — a critical focus of many in the county.
Travis lived in San Mateo County from 1979 to 1999 and recently moved back to qualify for the sheriff position.
The only applicant who has ever, and currently does, work in the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Weidner has served the office for 25 years rising to the rank of sergeant for the last eight years.
Weidner was appointed range master in 2020, responsible for a budget of nearly $1 million and overseeing firearms and tactical training programs. He began his career working in corrections for two years before being promoted to deputy sheriff.
Familiar with the rank-and-file that has operated under the tenure of the previous sheriffs, Weidner said he is apt to lead them now.
“I have witnessed the best this agency has to offer and the challenges this agency and its employees have faced,” Weidner said in his application.
Weidner’s three priorities as sheriff would be to rebuild trust and restore morale, improve training and professional development, and enhance community transparency and reduce corruption.
“I am running for sheriff because I believe this agency deserves leadership that puts the people first, both the employees who serve and the residents with whose safety we are charged,” Weidner said.
Weidner is also the only applicant who explicitly said he would not seek reelection when the position is up on ballots in 2028. He said he seeks the position for the next three years solely to “restore the soul of an organization that means everything to me.”
Weidner has lived in the county for more than 50 years.
Another candidate from the city, Yick brings 32 years of law enforcement experience to the table, primarily gained through the San Francisco Police Department.
Before retiring in 2023, Yick was acting commander of the metro division within the SFPD, where he oversaw three district stations and 364 individuals.
Yick described his leadership style at SFPD as “often autocratic, especially in transformational situations,” but said he generally considers himself a democratic leader, “empowering team members and promoting an inclusive approach.”
In 2024, Yick joined the San Francisco State University Police Department as a captain and served as acting chief for “approximately 25% of the time,” according to his application.
Yick’s three priorities for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office include ensuring public trust regarding immigration, establishing strong accountability and boosting department morale. Yick was one of two candidates who explicitly voiced he will follow county policy and not cooperate with ICE agents.
Beyond achieving positive outcomes, Yick said effective leadership means “demonstrating clarity, maintaining composure under pressure, and exhibiting a command presence that unites the department around shared expectations and purpose.”
Yick lived in San Mateo County for 20 years before moving in 2010. He moved back at the beginning of November to qualify for the sheriff position.
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