A meeting of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is not typically the hottest ticket in town. Still, Tuesday morning’s special session drew a crowd eager to witness the ousting of Sheriff Christina Corpus firsthand.
The board voted 5-0 to remove the first-term sheriff from office, marking the end of a scandal-fueled, mudslinging ordeal that turned the typically staid county into tabloid fodder.
Corpus was elected sheriff in 2022 on a platform of reforming the department’s culture and directly criticizing her predecessor for turning detainees over to federal immigration officials.
But after her victory three years ago — which unseated an incumbent with his own penchant for drama — her tenure has largely been a drip-drip of scandals that grew into a flood of negative headlines, investigative reports, and no-confidence votes.
An incomplete list of the scandals involving Corpus includes:
- Accusations of nepotism, including elevating her alleged lover, Victor Aenlle, to chief of staff, then rehiring him in a reserve position after he was fired by the Board of Supervisors.
- The arrest of the Sheriff’s Deputies Association president, Carlos Tapia, on timecard fraud charges that were later dropped. Tapia has since filed suit against the county, claiming the arrest was retaliatory.
- The alleged use of homophobic and racist slurs in reference to political opponents.
Through it all, Corpus refused to resign. She and her supporters have characterized the campaign against her as retaliation for her efforts to dismantle the department’s “good ol’ boys club” culture and curb excessive overtime spending. She sued the county for $10 million in January, claiming she was the victim of discrimination as a Latinx woman.
Her refusal to step down has come despite a growing chorus of opposition to her leadership of the sheriff’s office.
The cities of San Carlos and Millbrae, the deputies union, and even her command staff have approved no-confidence votes and called for her resignation.
But perhaps the most decisive no-confidence vote came from the public itself. In March, San Mateo County voters approved Proposition A, granting the Board of Supervisors the authority to remove a sitting sheriff. The measure passed with 84% of the vote.
On Tuesday, the board exercised that power, making Corpus the first sheriff to be removed from office in the county’s history.
Dozens of residents spoke during the public comment period, with the majority urging Corpus’s removal.
In a final display of defiance — or delusion — Corpus spoke passionately in her own defense for what was basically a foregone conclusion.
“You may remove me from office, but you will not erase the truth,” Corpus said at the meeting. “I may lose my title, but I will never, ever lose my purpose.”