San Mateo County Independent Civilian Advisory Commission holds 1st meeting

Some members of the public, like Carina Merrick, spoke directly to commissioners to emphasize the importance of their role as an entity separate from the Sheriff’s Office itself, and a place individuals can turn to if they’ve experienced discriminatory or illegal conduct by an officer. 

“I know firsthand that there’s a desperate need in this community for a place for people to go when they feel that they have been treated unfairly by a sheriff’s employee, and going directly to the Sheriff’s Office is not a reasonable thing to expect people to do,” Merrick said. “They desperately need something that is truly independent.” 

Sheriff Christina Corpus spoke extensively at the meeting, sharing her personal career journey within San Mateo County and what originally inspired her to join law enforcement, when she was treated with compassion and respect by law enforcement officers after being the victim of a violent carjacking. 

“What I ran on was transparency, transparency, trust and commitment. And it wasn’t easy. I had a very slim chance of winning. But I am here today, and what I can tell you is that my journey, what drove me, was my grit, my tenacity, the belief that people can change and the need for cultural change,” she said. 

She also discussed reforms the Sheriff’s Office has put in place to meet those goals and the needs of the community. Those include a behavioral health unit, detoxing programs, more accessible access to Narcan for incarcerated and previously incarcerated individuals and vouchers to help residents fix broken car lights for free, should they receive a ticket. 

Commissioners then had the opportunity to ask Corpus questions, which included requests for data from the department, and were trained on the Brown Act and potential conflicts of interest.

Resounding themes from those who spoke at public comment included the five individuals who had died in county jails since Corpus took office, as well as ensuring incarcerated individuals knew their voting rights. 

Kate Phillips, a board member for San Mateo County’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, requested investigation into the two suicides and two drug-related deaths that had occurred since 2023. 

“We ask you to initiate an independent review into the circumstances of these five recent deaths in order to identify preventative measures for the future,” she said. “Second, because jails are not the proper setting for treating mental crises, we ask the commission to urge the Board of Supervisors to establish and fund adequate diversion programs.” 

Another topic of contention was San Mateo County’s digitized mail system, which prevents inmates from receiving physical mail. Corpus spoke on the policy earlier in the meeting and said it was instituted because the mail was tainted with drugs. The county is currently being sued over the policy by several First Amendment and social justice legal groups. 

Being unable to receive physical mail is inhumane for those who are already isolated and see it as a sole connection to the outside world, Lauren Patton McCombs said. Patton McCombs is a member of Fixin’ San Mateo, a group that pushed for the creation of the commission. 

“I believe everyone here present knows the importance and significance of getting personal hand-held mail from your loved ones,” she said. “To an inmate, a birthday card or even a card that says ‘I’m just thinking of you,’ can help to ease the loneliness of being separated from their own families.” 

The commission will meet again Aug. 21 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. It will meet on the first and third Wednesdays of September and October and the first Wednesdays of the month going forward, with the exception of December.