Supervisors Uphold Recommendation To Bay Area Remove Sheriff, Await Possible Appeal

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors once again voted to remove the sheriff at their Tuesday meeting following a pre-removal conference with the sheriff and the probation officer.

Following last month's established removal procedures, San Mateo County Chief Probation Officer John Keene attended a pre-removal conference with Sheriff Christina Corpus and her counsel.

Corpus was able to address the accusations in the Notice of Intent to Remove during the conference. This notice has not been publicly released because Corpus objected to it.

“After considering the content of [the sheriff’s] presentation during the pre-removal conference, and in accordance with the removal procedures, I found that the sheriff’s conduct, as described in the Notice of Intent, violated the for cause provisions in County Charter section 412.5(B) as articulated in the Notice of Intent,” quoted County Attorney John Nibbelin from Keene’s written recommendation At Tuesday’s hearing.

An investigation concluded the sheriff engaged in multiple acts of misconduct, leading the board to issue a notice reflecting these findings. Corpus denies all accusations.

Under Measure A, a County Charter amendment passed by 84 percent of voters in March 2025, voters authorized the Board of Supervisors to develop and implement a process that required a four-fifths vote by the Board for today's decision to proceed.

The sheriff has five days to appeal the decision and request a full evidentiary hearing before a neutral hearing officer. The hearing must be completed within 60 days after the selection of the officer. Corpus would be required to attend the hearing and provide testimony if called upon unless the hearing officer dismisses her.

The hearing officer will then have 45 days to issue a written advisory opinion.

Measure A, valid until Dec. 31, 2028, allows the Board to remove a sheriff with a four-fifths vote for cause, including violating laws, neglecting duties, misappropriating funds, falsifying documents, or obstructing investigations. Proceedings could conclude in approximately four months, according to the board’s outside council.

Supervisors met April 8 to discuss removal and approved procedures May 6.

Alfonso Estrada, the board’s outside counsel, said the process ensures "fundamental fairness."

A report commissioned by Corpus on April 25 by Judge Burke Strunsky challenges Measure A's validity and the Cordell report. Marshall Wilson, SMC communications officer, suggested Corpus believes she's exempt from oversight.

A May 22 independent investigation by the Board of Supervisors dismissed Corpus's misconduct accusations against a County executive.

Corpus named a new assistant sheriff on June 4.