Assistant Sheriff Chosen In This Bay Area County, While Predecessor Still Gets Paid

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County sheriff has named the new assistant sheriff Wednesday, while the former assistant sheriff she removed is still being paid over $400,000 a year and is unassigned, according to police and an independent report.

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus announced Tuesday that Sergio Enriquez will be appointed to the position of Assistant Sheriff in San Mateo County.

Corpus retained the sole authority to appoint qualified individuals to the Assistant Sheriff position.

“I am excited to welcome Assistant Sheriff Enriquez to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office,” Corpus said. “Assistant Sheriff Enriquez is a dedicated law enforcement leader, with three decades of experience. I look forward to his contributions, not only to the office, but also to the communities we serve.”

Enriquez started in public safety in 1991 with Inglewood PD and joined Santa Ana PD in 1995. He retired as Assistant Chief in 2024 after serving in Field Operations, Administration, and Investigations, managing budgets and specialized units. Notably, he established Orange County's first DeEscalation Training Center, police said.

Enriquez holds a master’s in psychology focused on First Responder Trauma from Pepperdine University, and a bachelor’s from CSU Fullerton. He's taught at Arizona State University’s Watts College and Santa Ana College's Criminal Justice Department, police said.

According to an investigation, conducted by the law firm Oppenheimer Investigations Group, focussing on Corpus’ claims against the county executive officer Michael Callagy, Corpus hired Ryan Monaghan as her assistant sheriff after Callagy recommended him. Callagy and Monaghan worked together at the San Mateo Police Department for 19 years. Last September, Corpus fired Monaghan but Callagy blocked the firing. The Oppenheimer report found he was justified in doing so out of concern for of a wrongful termination lawsuit. In the meantime, Monaghan is earning over $460,000 a year in salary and benefits while waiting to be assigned, according to ABC7News.

That report found no evidence supporting Corpus’ other claims against Callagy.