The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Thursday to move toward potentially removing Sheriff Christina Corpus from office by adopting a “Notice of Intent to Remove” her for cause.
The vote came at a special meeting of the board to consider the Notice of Intent. Board members convened to a closed session to discuss its substance because Corpus objected to its public release. The board then reconvened in public session to vote to adopt the notice.
The vote moves to the next stage the novel process that the board established following the passage of a ballot measure earlier this year. The measure gave the board authority until 2028 to remove an elected official for cause if it followed a certain due process allowing for appeal.
The next step will be a hearing within five days of Thursday’s vote with county chief probation officer John Keene, who was designated as the presiding officer of a pre-removal hearing. Keene will make a written recommendation to the board on whether to ultimately remove Corpus. Such a vote would need four-fifths approval to pass.
A year in the making
The effort to remove the sheriff began last year when her conduct and administration came under criticism from a whistleblower, who she later had arrested. That led to two unfair labor complaints from the county Deputy Sheriff’s Association union and scrutiny of a relationship she allegedly had with her chief of staff.
The Board of Supervisors commissioned an independent review of the allegations by retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell, who issued a 400-page report alleging a toxic administration that included homophobia, racism, retaliation, and abuse of power.
Corpus refused to resign amid the investigation and report and contended the allegations were false and motivated by her race and gender.
She lodged multiple complaints against County Counsel Mike Callagy that were investigated and dismissed by an outside law firm. She also filed a $10 million lawsuit against the county. Callagy, in turn, filed his own $10.5 million suit against Corpus for statements she had made about him.
The Board of Supervisors responded to its inability to remove the sheriff by asking county voters in March to pass Measure A, which gave it temporary authority to remove elected officials and the authority to set up a process to do so. Voters passed it by a margin of 84% to 16%.
Prior to the board going into closed session Thursday, four attorneys representing Corpus with the firm Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney were given a total of 10 minutes to make public comments. Other speakers were given one minute each. Most of the 10 public speakers who made comments supported the sheriff’s removal and urged the board to make public the allegations laid out in the 59-page Notice of Intent to Remove.
Sheriff’s lawyers urge board to delay decision
Meanwhile, Corpus’ attorneys raised several objections to the process being used and predicted courts would agree. They urged the board to delay or abandon the vote to hold further discussions on the process and its legality.
One of her attorneys, Thomas Mazzucco, told the board that it would face legal challenges to its process, including not formally adopting minutes from a previous meeting or implementing changes to the process that were supposedly agreed upon.
“This matter started out as political, and we’re all politicians here, all politicians. Then it got personal. Now I’m asking you to be practical and follow the law,” Mazzucco said.
Corpus’ attorneys also argued that low voter turnout of about 24% in the March special election did not reflect the will of the voters, despite the fact that about 8,000 more votes were cast for Measure A than for Corpus in her 2022 election.
Mazzucco also accused Supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller of pre-judging the sheriff and said they should be recused, and therefore argued the board would not have four members needed to remove the sheriff.
The sheriff can appeal an unfavorable decision to a hearing officer chosen from three options the county selects, who are supposed to have experience with law enforcement disciplinary procedures.
The process could take up to four months, according to the county.