San Mateo County Sheriff Corpus faces potential ouster as board cites law violations and obstruction claims
San Mateo County, California – The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has taken the first official step toward potentially removing Sheriff Christina Corpus from office with a unanimous vote. The 5-0 vote paves the way for a formal process laid forth in the county charter. This is a big step up after months of scrutiny of the sheriff’s behavior.
The Board gave permission for a Notice of Intent to Remove to be sent. This is a legal document that includes numerous allegations against Sheriff Corpus. The notice alleges that the sheriff engaged in misconduct serious enough to justify her removal under three separate provisions of the county charter: violation of laws related to her official duties, repeated and flagrant neglect of those duties, and obstruction of an official investigation.
This development followed a months-long independent investigation conducted by the legal firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters, LLP. According to county officials, the business created a 59-page study summarizing its conclusions, reinforced by over 500 pages of supporting documentation and interviews with 42 witnesses.
On June 2, the draft notification was sent to both Sheriff Corpus and the Board of Supervisors. The next day, the sheriff officially said he didn’t want the notification to be made public. Because of this, the Board discussed the matter in private during Thursday’s meeting, and the paper remains private for now.
According to the Board’s removal rules, the sheriff must go to a pre-removal conference within five days of getting the notification. This meeting will be overseen by the county’s top probation officer, who will listen to the sheriff’s response to the charges and make a recommendation to the Board.
If the probation officer suggests removal, the Board would require at least four-fifths of the votes to follow that suggestion. Sheriff Corpus would then be able to appeal the ruling. This would start a public evidentiary hearing, unless she chooses to have a private one.
The timing for settlement is still up in the air, but attorneys think the process may be done in as little as four months. Until then, everyone will be watching the events that could lead to the first time in a long time that a San Mateo County sheriff is removed from office.
