THE SAN MATEO COUNTY Board of Supervisors discussed possible routes in filling the vacant sheriff position at this week’s meeting after the supervisors officially ousted Christina Corpus from office a week ago.
Supervisors went back and forth for nearly an hour, sharing their opinions on how to proceed. Some leaned toward appointing a sheriff and others eyed a future election to let voters decide.
The board unanimously voted to fire Corpus in a final decision Oct. 14 that made her removal “effective immediately,” according to board president David Canepa.
The vote was the last stage in the board’s months-long process to remove her, a historic move that made San Mateo County the first county in the state to remove an elected sheriff. The county’s voters started the process in March by approving Measure A, a charter amendment that gave the board temporary power to remove the sheriff.
Following the state government code, Undersheriff Dan Perea has assumed the sheriff’s duties but will not be officially elevated to the title of interim sheriff.
As part of Measure A, the board is required to make a decision within 30 days of removing Corpus, so the board has until Nov. 13 to decide whether to appoint the next sheriff or call for an election.
One of the options is appointing a sheriff to serve the three years left of Corpus’ six-year term. Corpus, along with other sheriffs and district attorneys elected in 2022, were given special six-year terms under a new state law so that elections for these offices could coincide with presidential elections, with the next one set for 2028.
Another option is allowing Perea to keep performing the sheriff’s duties until a special election or the next regularly scheduled election in June of next year. Finally, they can also appoint a sheriff to serve temporarily until the special or regular election with a signature confirming that they will resign.
“An option that is available to us is to make an appointment of someone to sheriff with the agreement beforehand that that same day we appoint them, they will sign resignation papers for June,” said Supervisor Ray Mueller.
He and other supervisors were concerned that Perea, who was Corpus’ appointee and right-hand man, could hinder the ability of the Sheriff’s Office to heal following Corpus’ removal.
“I support an appointment because I am not willing to risk being in another situation that is making headlines for scandal.”
Supervisor Noelia Corzo
“I believe what’s needed right now in the Sheriff’s Office at the top level is a change in leadership, because any decision that will be made at the top level right now can be questioned,” Mueller said.
Most supervisors were in favor of allowing voters to make the decision during the June 2026 regularly scheduled election.
Canepa expressed some support for having an interim sheriff followed by an election in June despite originally pushing for holding a special election as early as February.
“I’m not wedded to my position, but really looking at the big picture of this, it probably does make sense to have the interim,” Canepa said. “Then it probably does make sense for us to move forward in June.”
Supervisor Noelia Corzo, although not set in her stance, favored the board appointing a sheriff to serve the rest of Corpus’ term due to concerns that electing a sheriff could be riskier relating to law enforcement potentially cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I support an appointment because I am not willing to risk being in another situation that is making headlines for scandal,” Corzo said. “I’m not willing, personally, to risk having a sheriff win an election with a tiny margin who is going to potentially collaborate with ICE.”
However, Supervisor Jackie Speier was adamant that the board should trust that the voters in San Mateo County will make an informed decision.
“I think we have to have confidence in our voters that they’re going to recognize where the talent is and vote appropriately,” Speier said.
The topic of the cost of holding another election also came up, given how much money the county has spent in removing Corpus. San Mateo County has not publicly stated a dollar amount for how much the process has cost.
County Attorney John Nibbelin said that a special election to select the next sheriff would cost an estimated $3.2 million.
“I think we have to have confidence in our voters that they’re going to recognize where the talent is and vote appropriately.”
Supervisor Jackie Speier
“I would assume that this whole process has cost tens of millions of dollars,” Canepa said. “I don’t know what the number is, but I think for bringing peace to a department that has gone through so much, it makes sense to me that those are dollars are well-spent considering the crisis that we’re in.”
There was no decision made during Tuesday’s meeting on how to proceed with filling the vacant sheriff seat.
The board decided to move forward with holding a special meeting for Oct. 28 when the public and members of the Sheriff’s Office will have the chance to share their thoughts.
Mueller also plans to hold a listening session at his office in Half Moon Bay since attending a board meeting in person can be difficult for coastal residents due to distance and travel.
A final decision will be made during the board meeting on Nov. 4.