THE PRESIDENT OF THE San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is calling for an investigation into sleeping arrangements for employees inside taxpayer-funded facilities after a Sheriff’s Office captain was accused of living at the Millbrae Police Bureau station.
“I think for transparency, we need to look county-wide on what our policy is,” said board president David Canepa at a special board meeting Tuesday. “An independent investigation is needed, it’s necessary.”
Capt. Eamonn Allen, who is in charge of the Sheriff’s Office Millbrae Police Bureau substation, has been accused of living at the station after a building inspector discovered living quarters without permits.
Since 2012, Millbrae has contracted with the Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement services. The Millbrae Police Bureau, where Sheriff’s Office deputies and personnel are stationed, is located next to Millbrae City Hall.
On Oct. 21, a building official with the Building Division for the city of Millbrae was conducting a routine inspection of the substation and discovered sleeping quarters without prior approval.
“It appears there are two separate living quarters, one with two beds and the other with one bed,” said Millbrae spokesperson Annabelle Acosta in a statement. “The city had no knowledge of the dwelling units inside the police station until a routine inspection found them.”
Millbrae’s Code of Ethics Policy states that public employees cannot use public property for personal needs unless they are authorized to use it for conducting business.
The building inspector wrote up the substation for violating code.
“Please stop using rooms for sleeping,” the notice of correction reads. “Use of bedrooms is not allowed until a permit has been issued, construction has been modified, all inspections have passed, and a certificate of occupancy has been issued.”
Additionally, a bottle of alcohol was discovered inside the station.
“It is city of Millbrae policy to not drink while on the job or come to work under the influence of any substance including alcohol,” Acosta said.
Allen did not respond to requests for comment.
The code violations led two supervisors to address the issue at Tuesday’s special board meeting, which was held solely for the board to determine how to fill the vacancy of sheriff after ousting elected sheriff Christina Corpus two weeks ago over allegations of retaliation and conflict of interest.
Supervisor Noelia Corzo called out Canepa for what she perceived as him making public statements about Allen, saying they were a violation of policy.
“I’m going to clarify something that I wish, frankly, our board president would have done when he spoke to the press about one of our county sheriff’s captains, and I’m speaking in regard to Captain Eamonn Allen,” Corzo said. “It is actually very common practice for most law enforcement agencies, including ours, to have sleeping quarters available to their staff.”
Canepa fired back, saying he only wanted to look into county policy for employees using county facilities for sleeping.
“I’ve made no conclusions on any personnel. What I’ve called for, Supervisor Corzo, is I’ve called for an independent investigation,” he said. “If you don’t believe that looking into something like this is a good policy, I don’t know what to tell you.”
Canepa said he has asked County Attorney John Nibbelin to review the county’s policy on county-funded sleeping accommodations for staff and if it needs to be amended.
While some law enforcement agencies have beds in their stations for sleeping, they are only intended for occasional use of an employee and not as their primary dwelling.
For example, the city of San Mateo has built “barracks” for its police officers. They are used for napping and so that officers can “refresh themselves between shifts,” according to the city’s website.
“Where I was coming from on this issue was a policy of taxpayer dollars. What I don’t want to become is a Holiday Inn,” Canepa said to Corzo.
Scandal recalls earlier misuse cases
It is not the first time that controversy has occurred in the county surrounding the use of public buildings for personal lodging.
In 2022, two Caltrain employees were charged with using public funds to build secret apartments inside train stations in Burlingame and Millbrae.
The new allegations have also raised conversations over the cost of living in San Mateo County.
“Here in the Bay Area, where we have a housing crisis, the cost of living is extremely expensive,” Corzo said. “A lot of public safety employees, I’m talking about firefighters, even hospital staff, live far away and come to work in our community. And law enforcement is not immune to that.”
Undersheriff Dan Perea has assumed the duties of sheriff but has not been elevated to the role of interim sheriff. He did not respond to requests for comment and has not issued a statement related to the allegations against Allen.
The silence from the Sheriff’s Office, Corzo says, is another sign of the need for new leadership.
“What you’re seeing is continued poor leadership in the Sheriff’s Office because Undersheriff Perea, right now, has chosen to stay silent on this instead of using the communications department from their Office to clarify and address the misinformation that’s been targeted at one of their captains,” she said.
