San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus was fired by the Board of Supervisors Oct. 14, a culminating vote after a year of controversy at her hand that has plagued the law enforcement agency.
The board's vote was historic — no other sheriff in California has ever been removed from the elected position without a recall effort or civil grand jury procedure. The vote was unanimous and was informed by the advisory opinion of retired Judge James Emerson who presided over a 10-day under-oath evidentiary hearing.
Emerson found Corpus violated her duties as sheriff when she maintained a personal relationship with a subordinate that resulted in a conflict of interest, retaliated against employees and unlawfully arrested the president of the deputies union.
The vote was the final step in an approved set of processes that began when voters approved Measure A in March 2025, which granted the Board of Supervisors the extended authority to remove a sheriff for cause.
Since, there have been multiple processes to investigate the allegations made against Corpus, county spokesperson Effie Milionis Verducci said in a press conference following the board’s vote. The findings stand firm against the arguments made by Corpus and her attorneys, who believed she was punished because she was a reformer who sought to create change in the Sheriff’s Office.
“The questions around the Sheriff's Office culture was frankly not what today was about,” Milionis Verducci said. “The investigation was into her actions and the conclusions are consistent."
The board’s vote removed Corpus from her position effective immediately. County charter states that when the sheriff’s position is vacant, the undersheriff then discharges the duties of the sheriff. The current undersheriff is Dan Perea.
The Board of Supervisors has 30 days to decide whether it will appoint the next sheriff or hold a special election. The board has committed to not fill the position for 14 days to allow Corpus and her legal team to pursue any litigation.
Board President David Canepa and Supervisor Jackie Speier both voiced their personal desire to proceed with a special election. Should the board vote to proceed with a special election, it must occur within 102 and 131 days from when it is called, or held with the next regularly scheduled election which is in June 2026.
There is nothing at this time that would prevent Corpus from running for office again.
(1) comment
Finally! Thank you, Daily Journal, for all the great coverage.
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.