San Mateo County clarifies time use in Sheriff Corpus removal hearing amid rumors
San Mateo County, California – After rumors came out saying that the County had gone over its allocated hours, county attorneys sought on Thursday to set the record straight on how much time each side had used in the removal appeal hearing for Sheriff Christina Corpus.
The hearing was on its seventh day at the Hall of Justice in Redwood City when the clarification came. Jan Little, the head lawyer for Keker, Van Nest, and Peters, the company that represents San Mateo County, said that each side has a maximum of 35 hours to make their case. That amount includes both direct testimony and cross-examinations. Official time logs kept by the court clerk show that the County had used slightly over 16 hours as of Thursday morning, while the Sheriff’s lawyers had already used more than 18 hours.
Attorneys also pointed out that all of the witnesses the County has summoned so far were already on Sheriff Corpus’ own list of witnesses. According to the regulations of the hearing, witnesses are brought together and only have to testify once, but both legal teams can ask them questions.
“This clarification on how each party has used the allotted time to date, which was confirmed as accurate by the Sheriff’s counsel on the record, underscores the integrity of the process and reflects the efforts made to ensure the proceedings are fair, balanced, and transparent,” said County spokesperson Effie Milionis Verducci.
The removal hearing began on Aug. 18 and is scheduled to run for 10 days, concluding Aug. 29. James Emerson, a retired judge, is in charge of the independent hearing. In Courtroom 2M, the public and media can come and go as they like, but they can’t take pictures or record the proceedings. There is no option for remote watching.
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The hearing is happening because the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on June 24 to start the process of removing Sheriff Corpus. The decision came after it was discovered that she had abused her position, made a senior post for a close friend who didn’t have the right qualifications, and created a workplace where people were afraid of retaliation.
Corpus asked the Board to change its mind, which resulted to the current formal hearing. This hearing is happening because of Measure A, a charter amendment that 84 percent of county voters approved earlier this year. After the hearing is over, Judge Emerson will have 45 days to write an opinion that includes facts and a recommendation on whether there is enough “cause” for removal under Section 412.5 of the County Charter.
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Some reasons for removal are breaking laws that are related to the sheriff’s job, repeatedly failing to do their job, misusing public funds or property, lying on official documents, or getting in the way of investigations.
The Board will decide whether or not to remove San Mateo County’s top law enforcement officer from office based on the results of this procedure.
Additional information, including past news releases, Board actions, and associated reports can be found at: https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/independent-investigation-sheriffs-office.
