Final witnesses defend Corpus

Thursday testimony was provided by two of Corpus’ current executive team members, both of whom were hired within the past eight months. Manjit Sappal was hired as a strategic consultant in January 2025, and Assistant Sheriff Sergio Enriquez was hired in June. Both said they’ve witnessed the sheriff handle the job well. 

Enriquez, who said “I don’t know anybody up here,” felt that in the two months he has held his position, he could tell Corpus had the qualities for contemporary policing. 

“That woman’s got grit,” he said. “She has courage.” 

Before Enriquez was hired in June, there were no assistant sheriffs on Corpus’ executive teams since September 2024. The new assistant sheriff oversees the professional standards bureau, which includes internal investigations — a focal point of this hearing.

Corpus is alleged to have mismanaged the professional standards bureau and was inattentive to internal investigations. The county’s counsel team has worked to establish that internal investigations have been piling up and sit on Corpus’ desk awaiting final approval for months after investigations are completed by staff. 

Enriquez testified that the amount of internal investigations — 38 — yet to be completed and closed is “not a lot.” 

Sappal described Corpus as patient with people even though she dealt with limited communication up the chain of command, particularly by captains. He said the fact that she wasn’t kept informed of things in a timely fashion was to “make it appear that she is out of touch and doesn’t know what’s going on in the organization.” 

The attorneys representing the county questioned both Sappal’s and Enriquez’s credibility as witnesses, considering they’ve worked for the sheriff for less than a year. 

To testify to Corpus’ character, the sheriff’s attorneys called Ronald Jennings to the stand. Jennings is a father who lives in Half Moon Bay with his wife and son, and spoke to his bettering relationship with law enforcement as a Black man since Corpus took office. 

“I was taught to run from, and I’m teaching my son to walk to,” Jennings said. “And that can’t happen without this kind of change.” 

Jennings said the county’s decision to consider removing Corpus from office for just cause is an “old school traditional stance of degrading her.” 

“That doesn’t happen when you’re working with men, or white men,” Jennings said. 

He described the removal hearing process, approved by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors following voter approval of Measure A in March, as a “modern-day lynching.” 

Another witness, Deputy Michael Garcia, spoke to the positive change he’s seen since Corpus took office in January 2023. Garcia said Corpus has an open door policy, which was different from her predecessor Carlos Bolanos. Garcia works in the professional standards bureau focusing on recruitment and backgrounds and noted the significant hiring numbers the Sheriff’s Office has seen in the past two years. 

As of approximately 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the hearing officer, retired Judge James Emerson, stated that the defense had used just more than 28 hours of its allotted 35 hours of time, and the plaintiffs used approximately 19 hours and 23 minutes.  

The county’s attorneys spend little, if any, time cross examining those called by Corpus’ attorneys on Thursday. 

For the final day of the hearing, Corpus will take the stand once again. Each parties’ attorneys will end the day with their closing arguments. 

Emerson will then have 45 days to make a final recommendation to the Board of Supervisors whether there is substantial cause for Corpus to be removed from office. After reviewing the recommendation, the board will then vote again as to whether it will sustain or reject the judge’s recommendation. To remove the sheriff, a four-fifths vote must pass.

Court will reconvene with Corpus on the stand at 9 a.m. Friday.