Tragedy of the sheriff

I met Christina Corpus several times during her 2022 campaign for sheriff and I interviewed her twice at length. I liked her. I found her personable, compassionate, even charming. She had more than 20 years in the Sheriff’s Office, which seemed adequate credentials for running an office with wide, sweeping responsibilities and authority.

She was challenging someone who was seen as too entrenched in the old ways of doing things. Corpus put together a broad coalition of elected officials and political leaders, including those within the Sheriff’s Office who openly supported her. Many felt her election could usher in a new era and pave the way for more women and people of color in other offices.

As she took office, she recruited outsiders — people from law enforcement with substantial credentials and impeccable reputations — and put them in critical command positions.

During the campaign, I also met Victor Aenlle several times. He seemed likable enough, if decidedly intense. Without disclosing details from off-the-record conversations, he clearly intended to serve as the key advisor to Corpus — the tip of the spear, if you will. He made no secret there were individuals he intended to confront and force out. None of them were the people Corpus brought in from the outside.

He and Corpus appeared inseparable. No matter the kind of relationship they are alleged to have had, they were close enough that Aenlle was made her chief of staff — her supreme advisor. As the title implies, everyone else in command staff, including the professionals Corpus brought in, was to report through him. Aenlle’s credentials for the job seemed scant — he had been a volunteer reserve deputy for several years, and he had been a real estate agent for many years. His main qualification was that he appeared to have the complete trust of the sheriff.

Virtually every complaint and allegation about misconduct, corruption, intimidation and retaliation made against Corpus seems to emanate from Aenlle.

For whatever reason, Corpus has been completely loyal to and reliant upon Aenlle, whose qualifications as chief of staff pale in comparison to the command staff she recruited — individuals who since have left the office having been kicked out or driven out.

Her sole defender of consequence remains Aenlle.

Just yesterday, I received a nine-page memo from Aenlle responding to the 400-page report by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell. It covers no new ground and restates the long-standing mantra by he and the sheriff — the report is sloppy and wrong, everyone lied and the allegations reflect an entrenched status quo fighting a change to the culture in the Sheriff’s Office.

A quick sampling from Aenlle’s response: “(Cordell) failed to recognize my position and authority. … At no point did Sheriff Corpus relinquish control to me or anyone else. … Meaningful change is never met without resistance.” And there is “no factual evidence — only baseless hearsay” he has a personal relationship with the sheriff.

With this scandal, Corpus has become an outcast in her chosen profession. The campaign committee formed to push Corpus out of office, formed by her own employees, has spent more than $160,000 against her; a dozen public safety organizations from throughout the region have contributed $47,000 to the campaign. The San Francisco Police Officers Association recently sent Corpus a letter disinviting her to an event next Wednesday honoring women in the SFPD. The letter, noting the event is the day after the Measure A election deadline, urged here to “stay home on March 5 and work on your resume.”

It could be read as unnecessarily mean-spirited, or, as one Sheriff’s Office insider said, “it embodies the frustration so many within the profession have, especially women.”

And there you go. A winning personality emerges on the political scene after a career of growth that would seem to require toughness, independence and firm leadership. Out of loyalty and commitment to one individual, she put it all in jeopardy. And she has plunged the county into a crisis of unprecedented proportion, a snarl of bitterness, fear, anger, regret and incalculable expense that may not abate for years to come.

Tragic. Unrelentingly so.

Mark Simon is a veteran journalist, whose career included 15 years as an executive at SamTrans and Caltrain. He co-hosts a podcast/videocast that can be found at TheGamePeninsula.com, and he can be reached at marksimon@smdailyjournal.com.