San Mateo County supes consider sheriff’s removal in special meeting

(BCN) — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting on Tuesday morning to consider removing Sheriff Christina Corpus from office following a misconduct investigation and formal recommendation by the county’s chief probation officer.

The meeting, scheduled for 8 a.m., comes after a pre-removal conference between Chief Probation Officer John Keene, Corpus and her legal counsel was held under procedures adopted by the Board last month, the San Mateo County Executive’s Office said in a statement.

At issue is a Notice of Intent to Remove approved by the Board on June 5, which outlines multiple alleged acts of misconduct by the sheriff. The notice is based on the findings of an independent investigation conducted by law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, supported by over 500 pages of evidence and 42 witness interviews, the county executive’s office said.

According to the findings, the sheriff allegedly violated the law in the performance of her duties, neglected those duties repeatedly and flagrantly, and obstructed an investigation into her conduct — grounds for removal under Section 412.5 of the County Charter.

Neither the full contents of the notice nor Keene’s formal recommendation have been made public, following objections from Corpus.

The Board is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to sustain Keene’s recommendation. Removal requires a four-fifths vote of the five-member Board and may be appealed by the sheriff through an evidentiary hearing before a neutral officer, the county executive’s office said.

The process stems from Measure A, a voter-approved amendment to the county charter passed in 2022 that allows the Board to remove a sheriff for cause with a supermajority vote through the end of 2028. The measure passed with approximately 84% of the vote.

Corpus made history in 2022 when she became the first woman and the first Latina elected as sheriff of San Mateo County, defeating long-time incumbent Carlos Bolanos. Her tenure began with a pledge to reform the department, increase transparency, and rebuild public trust.

However, her leadership has faced growing scrutiny in recent months amid allegations of workplace misconduct, retaliation, and interference in internal investigations. Public calls for accountability intensified earlier this year when multiple anonymous complaints reportedly emerged from within the sheriff’s office.

Corpus has denied the allegations and refused to heed calls for her to step down. In response, the Board of Supervisors initiated a third-party investigation and, in late May, adopted formal removal procedures following the passage of Measure A. The Board voted unanimously in early June to move toward potentially removing her from office by adopting a “Notice of Intent to Remove” her for cause.

Corpus has filed a lawsuit against San Mateo County, alleging that the removal process was politically motivated and violated her due process rights.

The outcome of Tuesday’s vote could mark the first use of new powers under Measure A. The meeting will be streamed at sanmateocounty.legistar.com, and public comments can be submitted via email to boardfeedback@smcgov.org.

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