Sheriff’s youth program director resigns after 7 months

The Sheriff’s Office did not provide a comment.

A recent board meeting, held Aug. 14, was a telling example of a lack of professionalism and a “ceremonial body” that tolerated disrespect and unilateral control from a single board member, Cornejo said in her resignation letter. 

The Sheriff’s Activities League’s Board of Directors includes chair James Brown, Eric Berggren, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, electricians union leader Steve Booker, Adam Patterson, Jamie Gonzalez, Jerome Madigan, Josh Parker, Mark Flegel, Christina Corpus and Victor Aenlle.

Aenlle is Sheriff Corpus’ former chief of staff and source of strife in the Sheriff’s Office. Aenlle has been consistently referenced as a point of tension in the current sheriff removal hearing underway.

Cornejo said she was unable to coordinate meetings with necessary Sheriff’s Office employees, making it difficult for her to do her job. Requests to meet with Corpus regularly were declined, and she was asked to work with Undersheriff Dan Perea instead, “who demonstrated little understanding of nonprofit management yet felt comfortable critiquing my personal attire,” Cornejo wrote. 

“The situation is further compounded by the absence of meaningful support from the Sheriff’s Administration, whose close ties to the controlling board member eliminates any possibility of objective leadership guidance,” Cornejo wrote. 

Corpus is currently defending her job as sheriff in court by denying allegations that she and Aenlle maintain a relationship beyond mere friendship, among other allegations. The hearing began Monday. 

The Sheriff’s Activities League was founded in 1997 as an effort to aid in the intervention and prevention of juvenile delinquency in the county through programming, presentations and special events that fosters relationships between youth and deputies. 

Cornejo grew up in North Fair Oaks and participated in SAL programs herself, and expressed excitement in serving the community when her role was announced in January. 

In her resignation letter, Cornejo said SAL should suspend fundraising until it can deliver on a unified mission, which she said it cannot do under its current operating structure. 

“The youth of San Mateo County deserve an organization defined by vision, integrity and collaboration, not one weakened by politics and fear,” Cornejo wrote.