The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider adopting procedures for the possible removal of embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus, following a series of scandals and public calls for her ouster.
The proposed 12-step process was drafted by the county’s contracted law firm Hanson Bridgett and presented last month by attorney Alfonso Estrada. It comes after voters overwhelmingly approved Measure A in March, granting the board temporary authority to remove a sitting sheriff with a four-fifths vote.
Under the rules as currently proposed, the process would begin with a notice of intent delivered to Corpus, followed by a pre-removal conference giving her an opportunity to respond to allegations. Corpus would then be allowed to request a public or private evidentiary hearing, which would be overseen by a jointly selected hearing officer — likely a county employee unaffiliated with the board.
The hearing officer’s recommendation, along with a review of the record, would be submitted to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors for a final decision.
Removal would require support from at least four of the five board members. The process is estimated to take at least 3 1/2 months.
If Corpus is removed, selecting a new sheriff would require a separate process. Supervisors could appoint a new sheriff to serve the remainder of Corpus’ term, or yet another special election may be called.
The public will be able to weigh in on the proposed procedures during Tuesday’s meeting. It is still uncertain whether the board will vote on adoption the same day or continue deliberations in subsequent meetings.
Corpus, who has resisted calls to resign, faces growing scrutiny over her leadership, including allegations of corruption, misconduct, and an inappropriate relationship with her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle — scrutiny triggered by the release of a more than 400-page investigation led by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell.
The board’s effort to establish removal procedures stems in part from these allegations.
Despite controversies surrounding his relationship with Corpus, Aenlle was recently rehired as a reserve deputy in the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, where he now volunteers to help process concealed carry permits.
Corpus’ attorney, Thomas Mazzucco, has raised concerns about the fairness of the removal process.
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During a recent board of supervisors meeting, Mazzucco said the label “sheriff removal process” implies a predetermined outcome and questioned the board’s impartiality. He cited public statements from Supervisors Ray Mueller and Noelia Corzo, who called for Corpus’ removal prior to the March election, based on Cordell’s findings.
Corpus’ legal team conducted its own review of the Cordell report.
In an analysis released last month, former Riverside County Superior Court Judge Burke Strunsky criticized Cordell’s investigation as methodologically flawed and overly reliant on uncorroborated claims, particularly from a single anonymous source.
San Mateo County has defended both the report and its public release, describing it as a serious and independent inquiry conducted by a “highly experienced, well-regarded” judge.
