These Are The Next Steps To Remove The San Mateo County Sheriff

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved the next steps at a Tuesday meeting by which they could remove an elected sheriff, who has faced numerous misconduct allegations, a press release said.

Sheriff Christina Corpus has been accused of corruption, abuse of power and fostering a toxic workplace environment, according to a report prepared by Judge LaDoris Cordell. Corpus denies any wrongdoing.

On March 4, Measure A passed, which is a one-time amendment to the County Charter that allows the supervisors to remove the sheriff if there is cause to do so, including violating the law, flagrant or repeated neglect of duties, misappropriation of public funds, willful falsification of documents or obstructing an investigation, a press release stated.

On April 8, the supervisors certified voters' approval of Measure A.

On Tuesday, the board of supervisors voted in majority to establish the process for implementing the measure.

According to Alfonso Estrada, SMC outside counsel, the procedure allows for “several independent checks” developed with “an eye toward fundamental fairness to the county and the sheriff.”

The supervisors will next consider sending Corpus a notice of intent to remove by a four-fifths vote, including the reasons for removing the sheriff and a date to appear at a conference addressing the pre-removal.

Following the notice of intent, the next steps are:

• The sheriff appears at a pre-removal conference led by the San Mateo County chief probation officer or an elected official if the chief probation officer is unavailable.
• At the conference, the sheriff can respond to the reasons for removal, after which the chief probation officer will advise the supervisors on whether to uphold the removal.
• If the chief probation officer recommends removal, the supervisors must take a four-fifths vote to continue the process.
• The sheriff would have the right to appeal and receive a full public hearing with sworn testimony before a neutral officer who can subpoena, consider evidence and hear live testimony. The hearing would be recorded and public if both parties agree. The sheriff can object to a public hearing in writing.
• At the end of the appeal hearing, the hearing officer has 45 calendar days to issue a decision which the supervisors will consider at a public meeting.
• If the Board decides to move forward with removal, the vote requires a four-fifths majority.

"Measure A is designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to remove Christina Corpus, the first Latina sheriff," said Brad Gage, Corpus’ attorney, in a KTVU report, "Once they accomplish that, Measure A is no longer going to be in effect. That's not fair. That's singling out one person."

On April 25, a report conducted by former Judge Burke Strunsky and commissioned by Corpus challenged the validity of Measure A and the Cordell report.

According to Marshall Wilson, SMC communications officer, the Strunsky report suggested Corpus is exempt from following her own policies and is immune from oversight.