San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office unions pressing their concerns

Although the Board of Supervisors released a statement last week stating it has hired Judge LaDoris Cordell to investigate the claims against Aenlle, Supervisors David Canepa and Noelia Corzo were present.

Canepa said he could not stand by and “see our employees being treated the way they’re being treated” and called on the sheriff to listen to the raised concerns.

“We need a sheriff that we can trust, and trust only emanates from our employees,” Canepa said. “If I see that our employees feel they are neglected, they’re not being heard, the sheriff is not being responsive, we really have to lean in.” 

An overwhelming majority of DSA and OSS union members voted no confidence in Aenlle — 96% of 318 union member participants — over concerns of alleged union busting and the chief of staff creating a “culture of fear.”

In a letter to county residents following the vote, Corpus defended Aenlle, stating the vote of no confidence process was an effort to “bully” Corpus and “nothing more than a political stunt led by a few insiders.” 

Following the press conference, “Sheriff Christina Corpus’ position has not changed,” wrote Gretchen Spiker, director of Communications for the Sheriff’s Office, in a statement. 

The statement included various statements of support from local community leaders, including Half Moon Bay Mayor Joaquin Jimenez and San Bruno councilmembers Tom Hamilton and Marty Medina. 

“Over the past few days, the sheriff has been making her routine visits with employees, and many have told her that they are not interested in these political games,” Spiker wrote. 

Though Tapia said the vote of no confidence was symbolic, he felt the sheriff’s response has been inadequate. Canepa agreed. 

“We always talk about law enforcement being our heroes,” Canepa said. “What we’re hearing from our heroes is that they need help, they recognize a problem, and it needs to be fixed.” 

Tapia alleges Aenlle has “numerous” human resources complaints filed against him. Aenlle said “there aren’t any.” Corpus has also denied being made aware of any concern over the chief of staff’s personal or professional behavior. 

“In law enforcement, we are fact finders,” OSS President Hector Acosta said at the press conference. “What we have stated to our members and the public, the last few weeks, are facts.” 

Much of the ongoing labor disputes that Corpus is also under fire for are a result of staffing shortages — deputies are on average working 60 hours of overtime a pay period, Tapia said. Recent hiring of 110 employees have lowered vacancy rates from 25% to 15%, Corpus said previously, and there are incoming officers currently in training that will ultimately provide relief, coming in phases later this year. 

However, Julie Lind, executive officer of the San Mateo Labor Council, said there is more of a concern about a lack of retention, particularly from women and those in leadership roles. 

“The office is already under staffed by over 100 workers,” Lind said. “If this is the environment within the Sheriff’s Office, how are we to effectively recruit and retain to address that staffing shortage.” 

On behalf of the union members, Lind reaffirmed that concerns raised are not a result of a few malcontents. 

“This is an entire workforce telling our sheriff, the top public safety official in our county, that the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office isn’t a safe place to work,” she said. “These are folks that are asking for help, these are people that are asking for change.”