“County Executive Callagy has informed the board that he rejects the sheriff’s claims as false and defamatory, and he welcomes a full, transparent and independent investigation into any allegations made against him,” read a statement by supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller on behalf of the board.
Sheriff Christina Corpus asked the board to conduct an independent investigation into Callagy for alleged overstepping authority, inserting himself into operations of the Sheriff’s Office, and “inappropriate backdoor interference” in union negotiations.
“When there are meetings with the union and I’m not included, that is empowering a group of individuals where I should be at the table with them when discussing that,” Corpus said at a press conference Sunday.
The Sheriff’s Office is currently under fire for alleged unfair labor practices. A formal complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board was filed by the Deputy Sheriff’s Association alleging unilateral decision making relating to overtime and staffing without union conference, and interference in protected union activities.
She also accused Callagy of “retaliation, abuse of power, sexual discrimination and bullying tactics.”
“I do not work for County Executive Mike Callagy, I work directly for the people of San Mateo County who elected me as their sheriff,” Corpus said at the press conference. “The county executive does not decide who is on my executive team, as I make those decisions. The coach picks their team.”
In the letter sent to the board outlining her grievances with Callagy, Corpus said she fired Monaghan for “his performance duplicity and failure to execute the goals of the Sheriff’s Office expeditiously.”
The board said it is reviewing Corpus’ complaint and will “take the necessary time to determine the appropriate course of action.”
“County Executive Callagy has been an ethical public servant in San Mateo County for over 41 years,” the board statement read. “Unless proven otherwise, the board will remain united in its full faith and trust in his leadership.”
Corpus said should the board fail to conduct an investigation, she would escalate the matter to the state level, and requested immediate funding to provide legal counsel to represent the Sheriff’s Office.
Callagy has requested the result of the investigation be made public, according to the board’s statement.
(5) comments
What happened to the Sheriff’s civilian advisory commission? Can we get them to pursue a parallel investigation to see what they can dig up? If we’re going to hold cops accountable… I assume it applies to the Sheriff, too. Let’s see how this soap opera progresses. It is interesting that according to the article, “Corpus…requested immediate funding to provide legal counsel to represent the Sheriff’s Office.” So is this legal counsel only for Corpus? Maybe Corpus is telegraphing that she expects to be on the short end of the investigation outcome?
Hey, Terence
The Sheriff described these goings-on as "political theater." That's why I tossed in a line from Hamlet in yesterday's DJ.
There are a lot of moving parts in this drama, and that means folks like you and me are having a difficult time trying to sort through the salvos and complaints du jour being served up.
I believe there are some things the Sheriff can do to improve her position, but she seems locked into justifying her firing of Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan by simply saying it's OK... "because I said so." She has made it clear that she is the coach, and the coach picks the players. Hmmm... while deputies and command staff work under the Sheriff's direction... as it should be... they are still county employees. Why would anyone be surprised that a couple of County Supervisors and the County Executive are concerned with the appearance of a county employee being fired in what may have been retaliation for participating in an investigation concerning the Sheriff or a Sheriff's appointee? Sheriff Corpus is the coach but she does not own the team.
The Sheriff now claims she was intimidated and bullied by the County Executive... maybe she was, but it's very telling the County Executive wants the results of an investigation into that claim made public.
The Sheriff now says if the County does not investigate her claims, she will take her claims to higher authority. Let's get back to some Shakespeare... “The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Hamlet (1.4.254) Perhaps we should wait and see how the County Supervisors react to the Sheriff's request before anyone starts talking about next level investigations.
It is simple. She won and kicked Carlos out of there. That makes the rank and file mad, but they do report to her, not Callagy or the BOS. It is telling that while asking for an "independent" investigation, the board sent a letter of support for Callagy. If that is not putting a thumb on the scale, I don't know what else they could do but tell her to go fly a kite. These investigations are code for "bury" the problem, and the message of support makes that very clear. She is right to want this handled outside. There can be no "independent" anything if that is the position of the board. I did not think there was much to this, until this really transparent act took place. They are doing a great job of looking guilty.
You’re right, Unassigned, Corpus is doing a great job of looking guilty. I wouldn’t be surprised if many who voted for Corpus have voter remorse. Recall?
Hi, Richard
I don't think this is backlash from Carlos's supporters. Christina moved Chris Hsiung (lots of experience) into the undersheriff position and that seemed like a solid fit, however, she also appointed Victor Aenlle (not as much experience) as chief of staff. Chris left abruptly three months ago. That apparently was not seen as a red flag... maybe it should have been.
If the unions' growing resentment about Victor had been addressed by Christina months ago, we might not have claims of union busting and counterclaims of bullying flying back and forth. Maybe.
In the comments following an earlier article, I mentioned that it would be easy enough to confirm whether Victor's assertion that no HR claims have been filed against him is true. If there are no such HR reports, that would make Christina's claim that the votes of no confidence against Victor were merely exercises in "character assassination" seem plausible. If Victor is no longer a reserve deputy but still wears a uniform AND he is not entitled to wear a uniform... that should also be something easy to fix for Christina. The DSA's claim that Victor tried to influence that union's membership during contract negotiations is a little more complex. However, if Victor did anything that could suggest he might be interfering with the collective bargaining process, that could have been swiftly addressed by Christina a while ago.
Christina laments that meetings between the unions and Mike Callagy were taking place without her at the table. The unions negotiate contracts with Mike not Christina. She could be invited to a bargaining session, but her direct participation is not required. It's probably best for Christina to voice support for deputies and sergeants involved in collective bargaining without giving the appearance of leaning too much toward management or employees. Taking an active role in negotiations would likely put her in an awkward position.
The key to this dispute may be what ultimately happens to Ryan Monaghan. If the current investigation determines Ryan was fired in retaliation, Christina's counterclaims may lose a lot of their oomph. We'll see.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.