Campaign to oust San Mateo County sheriff ramps up

Supervisors David Canepa, Noelia Corzo, Ray Mueller and Lisa Gauthier have all endorsed Measure A. Supervisor Jackie Speier has not spoken on the matter publicly. 

Dissatisfaction in Corpus’ tenure has grown significantly in the past year, including deputies and sergeants raising concerns over union busting and a scathing independent investigation into her administration by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell. The investigation resulted in an over-400-page report detailing evidence of corruption, nepotism and retaliation. 

Measure A is an “appropriate and necessary response to a problem that has been growing in seriousness for over a year,” said Carlos Tapia, the president of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and an early whistleblower against Corpus’ administration. 

Corpus has said previously the Board of Supervisors are conspiring an attack on her because she is a woman and Latina, who is, as self-described, the adversary to the “good ol’ boys club” within the county. 

The effort to remove the sheriff has “nothing to do with race or gender,” Detective Eliot Storch, secretary for the DSA, said. 

“This is solely because of her actions,” Storch said. “If she wasn’t abusing the people who work here, if she wasn’t fostering this climate, culture of fear and retaliation, none of this would be happening.” 

Corpus has “made herself a victim,” however, her tenure is marked by silencing women, fostering a culture where many are afraid to speak up about mistreatment, and retaliating against those who do, Sgt. Sean Harper, secretary for the Office of Sheriff’s Sergeants, said. 

“Entrenched misogyny has become synonymous with the Corpus administration,” Harper said. 

Corpus won the 2022 election for sheriff, beating incumbent Carlos Bolanos with 56.86% of the vote. The elected sheriff ran a campaign on culture change and transparency, but many of her early supporters have since jumped ship, especially those on her staff. Nearly all sworn personnel have voted no confidence in Corpus and asked her to step down.

“They saw her as someone who was going to bring good things to the Sheriff’s Office, and I think every single one of them is now against her,” Storch said. “She has turned every single person who supported her against her and it’s solely because of her behavior and her actions.” 

The filed complaint against Measure A suggests that the granted authority to supervisors would be a “power grab” that undermines the voters’ choice. An alternative route to remove Corpus could be through a recall, but that would likely take another year to be effective. Timing is of the essence, proponents argue.

“The DSA believes that removing Sheriff Corpus is exigent,” Storch said. “We are at risk of retaliation, abuse and even false arrest every single day that she remains in power.” 

The arrest of Tapia the morning the investigative report was made public was described as “an attempt to silence an outspoken critic” by Harper and identified as a concrete example of what has many deputies and sergeants fearful. 

Measure A is about responding to a workplace environment that has become unsafe and toxic with an “urgency that it demands,” Julie Lind, executive director of the San Mateo County Labor Council, said. 

“Every worker deserves a workplace that is safe, inclusive and free from discrimination and harassment,” Lind said. “Let me be clear, that’s not the reality inside the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.” 

Beyond the impact on personnel, the Corpus administration and its flaws have put public safety at risk, Tapia said. 

“Sheriff Corpus’ time in office has not only been demoralizing, a distraction to our department, it has now become a public safety issue,” Tapia said. “Crises don’t wait for a calm moment. The San Mateo County residents depend on a well-functioning Sheriff’s Office, we must act now.” 

Civic leaders from throughout the county attended the press conference, sharing endorsements for Measure A, including councilmembers from San Carlos, the first city to weigh in on the ongoing scandal. 

As one of three cities that contracts law enforcement services with the Sheriff’s Office, the San Carlos City Council voted Nov. 25 no confidence in Corpus and called for her immediate resignation. Millbrae, another city that contracts with the Sheriff’s Office, passed a similar vote Jan. 28. The third city, Half Moon Bay, has not. 

“Now, the call to action extends to other cities to follow,” San Carlos Vice Mayor Pranita Venkatesth said at the press conference. “We have the opportunity to band together to advocate for transparency and integrity in our leadership.” 

In attendance also included Redwood City Mayor Elmer Martínez Saballos, San Mateo Councilmember Lisa Diaz Nash and South San Francisco Councilmember James Coleman. 

Martínez Saballos said he was an early support of Corpus when she was running for sheriff, but has since changed his stance stating the “crisis puts our community at risk.” Although Redwood City does not contract services with the Sheriff’s Office, its council will consider endorsing Measure A at its upcoming meeting Feb. 10. 

“Redwood City is so intertwined with North Fair Oaks who exclusively relies on the Sheriff’s Office services, but we also have the jail here,” Martínez Saballos said. “I think it’s valuable for the voters of Redwood City to know that this is coming to them too and there are impacts in Redwood City even if they aren’t directly serving our constituents with police services.” 

San Mateo councilmembers will be considering passing a resolution of no confidence in Corpus and call for her resignation at its council meeting Feb. 6. 

Diaz Nash and Coleman both shared they have already voted yes on Measure A, and encouraged residents to do the same. 

“Measure A gives voters the chance to close this chapter and ensure our community receives the transparent, accountable and ethical law enforcement services that they deserve,” Martínez Saballos said.