San Mateo County sheriff removed

The significance was not lost on supervisors and the public. Three years ago, Corpus also made history, becoming the first woman and first Latina to be elected to sheriff in the county. She was also one of the first in the state. 

“I personally could never have imagined that this would be the history that Christina Corpus would make in our county,” Supervisor Noelia Corzo said. 

Before the Board of Supervisors voted, Corpus and her attorneys spoke for more than 30 minutes in a last-ditch effort to preserve Corpus’ job. Beyond denying any misconduct, Corpus stood proud in her tenure as she was prepared for the board to remove her from office. 

“If I lose my position today, I will walk out with my head held up very high because I never betrayed the people who trusted me, I never compromised my values, I never bowed down to intimidation and I never stopped believing that reform was possible, even in the face of major corruption,” Corpus said. 

Corpus won the vote for sheriff in 2022, defeating incumbent Carlos Bolanos. She ran her campaign as a reformer who sought to change the good ol’ boy culture of the Sheriff’s Office, and received noteworthy support from political leaders throughout the county. 

Before voting to remove the sheriff on Tuesday, Corzo and Supervisor Jackie Speier noted their initial support for the sheriff and reflected on the downward spiral in which Corpus has found herself since. 

“Today is the end of a tragic, destructive and grossly expensive chapter in San Mateo County,” Speier said. “I had high hopes for Sheriff Corpus … it’s tragic to see her time as sheriff come down to this.”  

The supervisors’ vote was unanimous and informed by the advisory opinion of retired Judge James Emerson who presided over a 10-day under-oath evidentiary hearing in August. 

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. More people voted to pass Measure A, at 90,900, than who voted for Corpus to be sheriff, at 82,622. 

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.” 

Corpus was a victim of a resistant culture within the Sheriff’s Office, her attorneys argued. Lead attorney Thomas Mazzucco said Corpus had a “target on her back,” was sabotaged against, dealt with insubordination and described personnel as a “gang” pitted against the sheriff. 

“I truly feel deep in my heart … that some of the members of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and some of the members of the political insiders have a hard time having a Hispanic woman running this department,” Mazzucco said. 

Corpus’ race and gender have remained a focal point of her defense, who have alleged those involved in her removal are racist or sexist. At Tuesday’s meeting, Corpus’ faith and motherhood was also brought up repeatedly by her legal team. 

During public comment, Corpus’ attorney Mariah Cooks recited Bible verse Micah 3:5 and said a war was waged against Corpus. 

“While all this war has been waged against her, she has gotten baptized,” Cooks said. “Her faith today is stronger than it has ever been, and regardless of your decision here today, this is just a chapter in her story.” 

Causes for removal 

Emerson found Corpus culpable for four violations of the sheriff’s duties. The most egregious, he described, was her order for the unwarranted arrest of Deputy Carlos Tapia, president of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, for alleged timecard fraud on Nov. 12, 2024.

Within a month, the arrest was deemed wrongful and unnecessary by District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. Emerson determined the arrest was ordered out of retaliation for protected union activities. 

During her comments before voting, Speier spoke to the “tragic” decision by Corpus.

“To abuse one’s office by filing false accusations and falsely arresting them, is nothing short of repugnant and corrupt,” Speier said. 

The labor unions have remained at the forefront of the controversy regarding the Sheriff’s Office; the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Organization of Sheriff’s Sergeants were key whistleblowers against Corpus and her administration in mid-2024. Both unions published statements of gratitude following the Board of Supervisors vote. 

“We look forward to being a part of an agency where leaders demonstrate integrity and respect,” the DSA said in a press release. “Thank you for hearing our voices, believing in us, and supporting us.” 

Emerson found Corpus also retaliated against former Capt. Brian Philip, who refused to serve an internal affairs investigation notice that he found was insufficient and unnecessary. Philip ultimately resigned from his position rather than carry out the arrest of Tapia. 

The acts of retaliation followed months of public complaints from the unions and sworn personnel within the Sheriff’s Office regarding Corpus’ former chief of staff Victor Aenlle. Rather than respond to concerns made by the ranks of her deputies who questioned Aenlle’s qualifications to be on the executive team, Corpus consistently defended Aenlle. 

Emerson concluded Corpus maintained a relationship with Aenlle that extended beyond a working professional dynamic, and resulted in a conflict of interest. 

In her statements to the board, Corpus described her removal as the result of a “witch hunt” over what she said was “at best, a personnel matter.” She yet again defended Aenlle’s former role on her team and claimed he did no wrong.

“I may lose my title, but I will never ever lose my purpose,” Corpus said. 

Supervisor Speier spoke in direct contrast to this. 

“In my view, Sheriff Corpus lost her sense of purpose and put Mr. Aenlle above the vocal opposition to him among the ranks of her deputies and in so doing permanently damaged her relationship with those she was in charge of,” Speier said. “It’s a tragedy.” 

Undersheriff takes over for now

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. 

Milionis Verducci said she could not comment on reports that Corpus retired from her position Tuesday, but could confirm that Corpus was removed from office by the board’s vote, and “that action was not affected.”

In a press statement Tuesday afternoon, Undersheriff Dan Perea said public safety service “remains constant and uninterrupted” and said he would operate in his new capacity accordingly.

“The dedicated members of the Sheriff’s Office continue to serve as guardians of our communities 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with dignity, compassion and respect,” the statement read. 

As of Tuesday, Perea is the last standing executive member of the Sheriff’s Office. Before the Board of Supervisors meeting, Assistant Sheriff Sergio Enriquez emailed Corpus his two-week notice. 

“I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity to have served the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and to have contributed to guiding the organization through a transitional period,” Enriquez said in the letter to Corpus. 

Enriquez was appointed to the position in June. Prior to his appointment, the assistant sheriff position, of which there are two, remained vacant since November 2024. 

Next steps

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 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. 

A separate, independent action to remove Corpus from office also remains underway. On June 27, the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury issued a formal accusation against Corpus for willful or corrupt misconduct, including conflict of interest and retaliation. This avenue to remove Corpus remains ongoing, District Attorney Wagstaffe said Tuesday. Should Corpus bow out of the fight, he will then consider dropping the accusation.

“We don’t want to waste any more taxpayer dollars,” Wagstaffe said.

Calls for oversight

When looking ahead to the next era of the Sheriff’s Office, many public speakers and multiple supervisors voiced a desire for stronger oversight. A resident of North Fair Oaks said it succinctly during public comment: To get to this point, it is clear that either the sheriff or the personnel in the Sheriff’s Office is corrupt, which suggests an urgent need for oversight. 

Fixin’ San Mateo County, a nonprofit focusing on establishing accountability and transparency within the criminal justice system, has long called for an independent and permanent inspector general. The organization reiterated this desire in a press release following the board’s vote Tuesday. 

“We need a truly independent body to investigate concerns raised by the community and deputies,” Fixin’ Board Chair Jim Lawrence said. “The Board has already turned to outside investigators before and now it’s time to make that independence permanent.” 

In the press conference following the board’s vote, Canepa said removing Corpus was the best thing for the Sheriff’s Office. 

“Things can only get better,” Canepa said.