San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus returned to the witness stand Tuesday on the second day of her removal hearing as county attorneys sought to depict her as a vindictive leader who blurred personal and professional boundaries.

The sheriff’s defense team, led by former U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, pushed back against the claims, arguing the effort against Corpus stems from political retaliation by an old guard resistant to reforming a department long plagued by misconduct, corruption, and misogyny, much of which was pinned on her predecessor Carlos Bolanos.

Perez framed Corpus’ rise as a reformer — and the first Latina sheriff in county history — as the reason she became a target of entrenched critics.

Defense attorney Christopher Ulrich on Monday had argued that tensions with staff escalated after Corpus ended double overtime pay beyond 9 hours, a practice that had inflated the sheriff’s office budget to nearly $19 million.

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The removal hearing follows complaints last year from two sheriff’s unions that triggered a 400-page investigation by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell. That report concluded “lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest and abuses of authority are the hallmarks of the Corpus administration.”

A subsequent county-commissioned review by San Francisco law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters echoed many of Cordell’s findings. In addition to the county process, Corpus also faces a separate removal following civil grand jury accusations.

On Tuesday, county attorney Jan Little pressed Corpus about her relationship with Victor Aenlle, her former chief of staff. Corpus is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with him and pushing for raises despite questions over his qualifications.

While Little attempted to get Corpus to admit to the inappropriate relationship on the witness stand, the sheriff was precise in her answers and did not relent.

Heather Enders, the sheriff’s office human resources manager, testified Monday that Corpus directed her to create a high-paying role for Aenlle, who became the sole applicant and eventually earned between $197,600 to $246,000 annually before his position was eliminated by the Board of Supervisors last year following the Cordell report.

Little also presented personal text messages between Corpus and former colleague Valerie Barnes, in which Corpus described her marriage as “stressful.” In one exchange, Barnes told her she deserved to be “spoiled and doted on” and asked for a “pic of your sparklies.” When asked by Little if the texts referred to Aenlle, Corpus acknowledged her marriage troubles but denied the messages were about him, and could not remember if it was referring to a specific person.

Corpus also rejected claims that $8,000 earrings mentioned in the Cordell report came from Aenlle, testifying she purchased them herself because her husband would not.

The hearing also delved into allegations of retaliation against her critics within the department. County attorneys highlighted transfers to assignments at corrections and the airport for allegedly criticizing Corpus. She denied the transfers as punishment and merely needed to fill vacancies.

On the biggest accusation of retaliation, Corpus defended her order for the warrantless arrest of Deputy Carlos Tapia last year, president of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, citing an internal investigation and noting that she cleared the move with the district attorney before arresting him for alleged time card fraud.

Tapia was arrested on the same day the Cordell report was released. Corpus testified she was aware of the investigation but did not know Cordell’s findings would be made public that day.

In December 2024, San Mateo County District Attorney declined to charge Tapia, clearing him of wrongdoing.

Also during her testimony Tuesday, Corpus denied using racist or homophobic slurs, though she admitted calling a former Millbrae councilmember a derogatory term for a lesbian. The text exchanges were included in the Cordell report.

Corpus claimed she thought the term referred to a hairstyle, not a slur directed at lesbians. Asked if she had looked it up, Corpus replied that it was not in Merriam-Webster and that she “doesn’t read Urban Dictionary.”

Perez sought to humanize her, portraying Corpus as a trailblazer who had faced bullying, discrimination and political retribution long before she was elected in 2022.

Corpus testified she was inspired to join law enforcement after experiencing a carjacking when she was a teenager. She also spoke about the challenges of raising a son with autism and facing sexism and bullying within the sheriff’s office.

She became emotional when describing an alleged incident in which someone within the department edited a photo of her newborn son to suggest the father was a former county sheriff.

When discussing past corruption, Corpus testified that promotions often required campaign donations to the sheriff. She admitted donating after being prodded by a former undersheriff, saying she knew such practices needed to change if she were elected sheriff.

She also defended her friendship with Aenlle and their trip to Hawaii, saying he helped care for her son but did not stay with her during a family wedding.

Retired Judge James Emerson is serving as the hearing officer and will issue a recommendation within 45 days after both sides present their cases. The county is presenting its case first over five days, with the defense to follow. If four-fifths of the Board of Supervisors vote to remove her, Corpus would be the first elected sheriff in California to be ousted this way.

Under the county charter, the board has 30 days to appoint a new sheriff or call a special election. If supervisors fail to act, the elections office must immediately schedule an election. A final vote may not occur until November or December.

The hearings resume Wednesday at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 2M of the Hall of Justice in Redwood City.