Former San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Victor Aenlle testified Tuesday following misconduct and nepotism allegations that surfaced last year, defending his tenure and denying claims of an inappropriate relationship with Sheriff Christina Corpus as she faces removal by the county’s Board of Supervisors.
Aenlle’s testimony came during the seventh day of a high-stakes hearing conducted by the county.
The sheriff is fighting two separate efforts to oust her: one under Measure A — a voter-approved initiative passed in March that gave the Board of Supervisors authority to remove an elected sheriff through 2028 — and a civil grand jury accusation filed in June alleging misconduct and abuse of power. If she is removed, Corpus would become the first elected sheriff in California ever ousted by a county board.
Aenlle, a central figure in the controversy, said his wife and family supported Corpus’ campaign in 2022, helping her become the county’s first Latina sheriff. He described his appointed chief of staff position, created to bring a civilian perspective to the sheriff’s executive team, as a cornerstone of her reform agenda.
But he testified that his position, which was funded through 2026, was eliminated by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors outright after the release of a blistering 400-page report commissioned by the county and authored by retired Santa Clara County Judge LaDoris Cordell in November 2024.
The report accused Corpus of retaliation, misconduct, corruption, and maintaining an inappropriate relationship with Aenlle, an accusation both Corpus and Aenlle continue to deny.
Wilson Leung, one of Corpus’ attorneys, spent part of Tuesday afternoon questioning Aenlle about his background. Aenlle testified he had worked off and on in law enforcement since 2009 as a reserve deputy and briefly as a full-time deputy in the early 2010s, though his primary career has been in commercial real estate.
Addressing accusations that he bullied staff or usurped the sheriff’s authority, Aenlle acknowledged being “direct” but denied ever bullying deputies or civilian employees.
“I was wrongfully terminated in November 2024,” Aenlle said. “That report gave birth to Measure A and led to my termination. My position wasn’t just defunded, it was deleted.”
He criticized the Cordell report as “the fruit of a poisoned tree.” A separate review published in April, commissioned by Corpus and led by retired Riverside County Judge Burke Strunsky, concluded Cordell’s report relied heavily on anonymous sources and unrecorded interviews.
Aenlle also addressed allegations about asking a sheriff’s executive to change the code to a gun safe after he was forced out of his role. His former aide Jennifer Valdez testified last week that she discovered Aenlle retained access to the safe and immediately reported it, calling the situation “shady.”
Aenlle said he was concerned that a sheriff’s official, whom he believed retaliated against him, might access the rifles and that Corpus would be blamed if any went missing.
According to a county memo, Aenlle asked Undersheriff Dan Perea to change the safe’s code, allegedly saying, “This is how they are going to get me.” Perea refused and documented the request, which Aenlle said belonged to the sheriff, undersheriff and assistant sheriff.
County lawyers began their cross-examination of Aenlle shortly before 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, former Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan testified that Corpus initially appeared “collaborative and compassionate” but later became “authoritarian and disorganized.” Detective Jeff Morgan also testified that he heard Corpus use an anti-Semitic slur to describe a captain at the sheriff’s office’s Half Moon Bay bureau.
Corpus’ defense team appeared to try to cast doubt on Valerie Barnes, Corpus’ former colleague in Millbrae and a key source in the Cordell report, who also testified that the sheriff sent homophobic text messages and that she had firsthand knowledge of Corpus’ alleged relationship with Aenlle.
Millbrae City Manager Tom Williams, the first witness called by Corpus’ team, testified that Barnes was upset about being passed over for a promotion and allegedly told him multiple times, “I’m going to get that b****, she’s not going to know what hit her.”
Retired Judge James Emerson has been tasked with overseeing the 10-day hearing.
The county addressed concerns on Tuesday that its attorneys had exceeded their time for presenting witnesses. Jan Little, an attorney representing the county, said each side has 35 hours to question witnesses, including cross-examinations, and all witnesses have been subpoenaed by both parties.
“This clarification on how each party has used the allotted time to date, which was confirmed as accurate by the Sheriff’s counsel on the record, underscores the integrity of the process and reflects the efforts made to ensure the proceedings are fair, balanced, and transparent,” said County spokesperson Effie Milionis Verducci.
Once the hearing concludes, Emerson has 45 days to deliver his recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which then has 30 days to vote. Removing Corpus requires a four-fifths vote. If supervisors remove her, they would have 30 days to appoint a replacement or call a special election. If they fail to act, the county elections office must schedule an election immediately — meaning a final resolution may not come until late fall.
