The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office, marking the first use of their newly granted authority under a voter-approved charter amendment.
The 5–0 vote came three months after 84% of county voters approved Measure A, giving the board the power to remove an elected sheriff for misconduct, neglect of duty, or other violations, until 2028. The special election cost the county more than $4 million.
Despite the vote, the removal is not yet final. Corpus has the right to appeal under the county charter.
Corpus has five calendar days from the time she receives the board’s decision to appeal and request a hearing. If she does, the board will provide a list of at least “three neutral hearing officers” of which one will be mutually agreed upon, according to adopted procedures.
The county had previously discussed with her legal team a preference for retired judges with experience in public safety discipline, from which one will be selected.
Possible hearing officers named during Tuesday’s meeting include Carol Vandrilo and David Hart, both arbiters, and James Emerson, a retired Santa Clara County judge.
That officer must schedule a hearing within five days, to be held within 30 to 60 days of notice, and issue a written advisory opinion within 45 days of the hearing’s conclusion. The board is then required to vote again on the recommendation within three days.
The effort to remove Corpus stems from a 400-page independent report released last year that accused the sheriff of misconduct, corruption, and an inappropriate relationship with her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle.
The investigation, led by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, was followed by a separate 524-page review by the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, which included 42 witness interviews and accused Corpus of violating state and local laws, neglecting her duties, and obstructing an investigation, according to a press release from San Mateo County.
The county commissioned both reports.
If the removal is finalized, Corpus would make history as the first sheriff in the Bay Area removed directly by a county board of supervisors. While supervisors in other counties — including Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Solano — have clashed with their sheriffs in the past, none have taken the step of pursuing or obtaining the authority to remove one.
In 2022, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith resigned following a separate process, after a civil grand jury indicted her over a concealed carry permit scandal. Her case did not involve action by the county board.
Corpus, the county’s first female and first Latina sheriff, was elected in 2022. She did not attend Tuesday’s special meeting, but her legal team was present, strongly objecting to the proceedings and once again arguing that the process was biased and flawed.
“We are not surprised by the ruling of the Board of Supervisors today,” said Corpus’ lead attorney, Thomas Mazzucco, following the meeting. “As you’ve seen, we’ve continually argued that two of the members cannot vote on Measure A because of prior statements they’ve made to you, the press.”
A San Mateo County judge earlier this month denied Corpus’ request to halt the removal process through a temporary restraining order, calling the filing “premature.” Despite unsuccessful attempts at stopping the removal process, Mazzucco said they plan to return to court again.
“We will continue to litigate this matter in the courts,” he said.
The sheriff’s attorneys argued that Supervisors Ray Mueller and Noelia Corzo should have recused themselves due to alleged bias, noting both had previously called for Corpus’ resignation. They also criticized the recommendation of the pre-removal hearing conducted by Chief Probation Officer John Keene, calling findings against the sheriff “lacking.”
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“No court would allow jurors such as Supervisors Corzo and Mueller to remain,” said Christopher Ulirch, another member of Corpus’ legal team. “No court would allow judges like Supervisors Corzo and Mueller who have already told us how they would vote.”
Tensions flared between Mueller and Mazzucco during Tuesday’s meeting when the attorney began reading from a one-page document by Keene. Mueller questioned whether Mazzucco was waiving confidentiality and called for the full release of documents that Corpus’ team had previously requested remain private.
“My request is to look into whether the full record, including the Notice of Intent (to Remove), becomes public,” Mueller said, interjecting during Mazzucco’s public comment. “You can’t selectively choose one piece and share that with the public and not share all of it out of context.”
County Counsel John Nibbelin said staff would examine whether Mazzucco’s actions had effectively waived confidentiality protections.
The board’s action follows months of legal and political battles between Corpus and the county. Corpus has sued for access to records from the Cordell-led investigation and commissioned a rebuttal report by former Riverside County Superior Court Judge Burke Strunsky, who criticized Cordell’s reliance on anonymous sources and unrecorded interviews.
