Emails show Sheriff Christina Corpus was aware of the potential purchase of 10 massage chairs for officer wellness, however, she denied her involvement entirely in the procurement request to supervisors at a recent budget presentation.
During the three-day budget hearing the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors held, Corpus gave a presentation on how the proposed budget for the Sheriff’s Office may be spent. At this meeting, held June 24, supervisors took the opportunity to question multiple questionable procurement requests made under Corpus’ administration.
Of particular concern was the purchase request made for 10 massage chairs for the Sheriff’s Office, which was ultimately denied by the county’s procurement office.
“It was a part of county wellness. It was requested by the employees,” Corpus said at the meeting June 24. “I did not see that request, because I would not have approved it.”
Instead, Corpus said it was the Human Resources manager who pushed the request through for approval.
However, according to internal communication emails sent between HR Manager Heather Enders and various Sheriff’s Office personnel members, Corpus seemed to be aware of the request.
The sheriff asked captains to provide room dimensions for their respective massage chairs, according to an email sent from Capt. Mark Myers to Enders in May 2024. The 10 massage chairs were intended to be placed at eight separate locations and substations, according to an email sent by Enders.
Myers did express an appreciation for the possibility of a massage chair.
“As the Wellness Coordinator for the San Carlos Police Bureau I thank you for your commitment to providing a healthy and holistic workplace for our employees,” Myers said in the email.
The county’s procurement team was “concerned” about the excessive purchase “amidst other budget challenges” and the media attention over a separate purchase for a $76,000 conference room table, according to a March 2025 email to Enders from Stacey Stevenson, director of Finance for the county. However, the sheriff could have made a written request to proceed, according to the email.
Enders reached out to Corpus if she would like to provide a written approval to proceeds with the purchase of the massage chairs.
“As you may recall, you had directed PSB to purchase these chairs, and $100K has been earmarked for this initiative, with commitments made to the bureaus,” Enders wrote in an email to Corpus.
No response or documentation from Corpus directly was provided to the Daily Journal. Corpus did not respond to request for comment.
At the budget hearing, Speier asked if they could expect Corpus, moving forward, to review procurement requests to make sure they’re not excessive. The sheriff said either she or the undersheriff would make sure to do so.
The sheriff remains under scrutiny as multiple avenues are currently being taken to remove her from office for misconduct, including conflict of interests and retaliation.
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