Bay Area Sheriff Officially Ousted From Her Position By Board Of Supervisors

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors officially have voted to remove the sheriff at their meeting Tuesday, marking the first time in California history that a board of supervisors have removed a sheriff from office, officials said.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to remove San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus with all members present.

Corpus has continued to deny any wrongdoing.

"I stand by my actions, and the difficult decisions I make as the elected sheriff. I should have been cleared of all the allegations," Corpus said in a statement on Oct. 6.

After the vote, the sheriff was removed from her position effective immediately, officials said.

The Board reviewed an advisory opinion submitted on Oct. 6 by retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Emerson. He recommended the removal of Corpus.

Emerson presided over Corpus's appeal hearing concerning her removal from the sheriff position. He subsequently published a 42-page opinion detailing his findings from the 10-day public hearing.

The judge cited four distinct grounds for Corpus's removal.

"Today is the end of a tragic, destructive and grossly expensive chapter in San Mateo County history. I had high hopes for sheriff corpus. I voted for her," said Jackie Speier, SMC District 1 Supervisor. "She had great ideas to modernize the office. So it's tragic to see her time as Sheriff come down to this."

Corpus refused to resign despite a scathing audit accusing her of using racial and homophobic slurs, harassing colleagues, and an inappropriate relationship with her former campaign manager, Victor Aenlle, who became her chief of staff.

Corpus sued the county in January, seeking $10 million after claiming she was discriminated against for being a Latinx woman.

San Mateo County voters approved a charter amendment in March, granting the Board of Supervisors the power to remove Corpus from office.

Corpus said in a statement that the removal process was "unconstitutional, corrupt and fundamentally unfair."

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