San Mateo County’s new Sheriff Ken Binder appointed a new undersheriff, the Sheriff’s Office said Monday.  

Chris Hsiung, former chief of police in Mountain View and former undersheriff at the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office, has been named undersheriff again and will take a leave of absence from his current role as executive director at a nonprofit that promotes innovative leadership in law enforcement, the Sheriff’s Office said.  

“I’m thrilled that Chris Hsiung is coming back to serve as Undersheriff,” said Binder in a statement released by his office. “Not only is Undersheriff Hsiung a respected law enforcement leader, but he brings a deep understanding of the Sheriff’s Office and a genuine commitment to the men and women who work here.” 

Hsiung will start immediately and serve for approximately eight months, the Sheriff’s Office said, during which he will focus on organizational healing and leadership development.  

Binder hopes Hsiung will help the office move forward after the ousting of former Sheriff Christina Corpus after more than a year of scandals.  

San Mateo County Supervisors decided to appoint Binder to serve the remainder of Corpus’ term, which ends in January 2029. The appointment of a new sheriff earlier this month comes exactly one year after an independent investigation was released containing allegations that Corpus had an inappropriate relationship with her chief of staff and fostered a culture of intimidation and retaliation in the Sheriff’s Office. 

Hsuing said coming back to help the embattled office is an “honor” and he hopes to help set it up for long-term success. Binder believes that Hsuing will be able to step in and immediately stabilize an office that he is already familiar with.  

The new undersheriff is a graduate of Hillsdale High School in San Mateo and served as a Community Relations Commissioner for the city of San Mateo for two terms, the Sheriff’s Office said. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.