An open letter to Sheriff Christina Corpus

In March, 84% of the voters in this county overwhelmingly voted for Measure A, giving the Board of Supervisors the power to remove you as sheriff. A neutral hearing officer has since recommended the same, and the Board of Supervisors has unanimously agreed. Now, a civil grand jury has been convened to further examine this torturous ordeal. The county faces multiple lawsuits from current and former employees, which will likely cost the taxpayers of this county tens of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, the district attorney continues to investigate possible criminal conduct by you and your chief of staff, with findings still pending.

Despite this growing body of evidence, your response has been marked by denial and delay. Upon the release of the Cordell report, you challenged the fact that the witnesses were anonymous and dismissed the report as untrue. However, when the Oppenheimer report later validated the Cordell report’s findings, and disclosed the names and testimonies of 12 witnesses, you denied the credibility of that report as well. Although you have pledged to tell your side of the story, you have repeatedly canceled press conferences, skipped interviews and defaulted to claims that the process is unfair and biased.

Last November, two weeks after the Cordell Report was made public, my City Council, San Carlos, voted unanimously in favor of a resolution of no confidence in you, and called for your resignation. I was the first member of that council to call for you to step down. Six other cities in San Mateo County followed suit soon after, either passing votes of no-confidence or endorsing Measure A.

My decision was not made lightly. It was rooted in my knowledge of the people who serve under you. Over my 13 years on the San Carlos City Council, which ended in December, I came to know our deputies and bureau chiefs well. I witnessed their professionalism, their dedication and their deep commitment to this community. I know the emotional toll this past year has taken on them. And I know that they — like all of us — are human beings who deserve to work in a safe and respectful environment.

You have said that you care about your deputies, and your campaign slogan promised “a sheriff we can trust,” yet, the reality has been a far different experience. In addition to the previous allegations mentioned in the two reports, understaffing has resulted in hazardous working conditions, raising serious concerns about your ability to ensure public safety. And public safety is what this is all about. How long can this go on?

You are, of course, entitled to pursue every legal avenue available to keep your position. But ask yourself — if you succeed, what will you have truly gained? The trust of your deputies is gone. The voters who supported you have turned away. More people voted for your removal than for your initial election. If you remain in office, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. One that will create challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified deputies, result in a fractured department, a disillusioned workforce, and a county financially and institutionally burdened by your refusal to take responsibility.

You have listened to misguided advice and caused the people of San Mateo County to pay the price for your defiance. Please — do the right thing. End this prolonged crisis.

Resign. And do it now.

Ron Collins is a former member of the San Carlos City Council.