This story was first printed in Friday’s Daily Post. To get important local stories first, pick up the Post in the mornings at 1,000 Mid-Peninsula locations.
BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Caltrain’s former CEO is organizing a voter recall of Sheriff Christina Corpus, who has refused to resign after the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors released a report that says her office is dysfunctional and corrupt.
Jim Hartnett, also an attorney and former Redwood City mayor, is organizing a group to gather signatures, Supervisor Ray Mueller said on a phone call yesterday.
“There are residents in the county who are coming together and already have started to make pledges of donations and time in order to help facilitate a recall,” Mueller said.
The campaign would need to get 43,646 signatures, representing 10% of registered voters in San Mateo County.
The recall question would go on the November 2025 ballot, Mueller said.
At the same time, supervisors are pursuing a March ballot measure that would give them the authority to remove the sheriff with cause. They’ll officially place the measure on the ballot on Tuesday.
But the measure is untested, and Mueller said yesterday that it could get slowed down by a lawsuit.
Corpus has said the March ballot measure is an attempt by the Board of Supervisors to take over her office.
“If you want a sheriff out, you hold a recall,” Corpus said in a statement on Nov. 19. “This is a blatant attempt to go around the voters. They don’t want a recall vote because they know they will lose.”
Mueller said the recall is a way for the county to cover all of its bases, and he will be helping with both campaigns.
Mueller set up an email address, [email protected], for people to volunteer on a recall campaign.
Hartnett couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday.
Hartnett was on Redwood City Council from 1994 to 2009 and CEO of SamTrans and Caltrain from 2015 to 2021. He’s currently chair of the Redwood City Police Advisory Committee.
Hartnett’s wife is Rosanne Foust, who is also a former Redwood City mayor, and is head of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association.
Calls for resignation
Corpus, who took office in January 2023, has faced growing calls to resign from her sergeants, lieutenants and captains, federal and state representatives, San Carlos City Council and the Board of Supervisors.
Retired Judge LaDoris Cordell released a bombshell report on Nov. 12 that named Corpus’ chief of staff Victor Aenlle throughout the report and having an inappropriate relationship with Corpus. Both have denied any such relationship.
Aenlle has shown a paranoid obsession with loyalty and made unilateral decisions that violated county policies and potentially broke the law, Cordell said.
“Nothing short of new leadership can save this organization that is in turmoil, and its personnel demoralized,” Cordell said.
Corpus said she’s being attacked because she goes against the status quo in the county.
“This moment challenges not only my leadership but the independence and integrity of this office. I will not step down, nor will I allow this institution to be politicized or influenced by special interests,” Corpus said in a letter on Tuesday.
What a loser…as CEO of SamTrans/Caltrain was making over 500K at one point? AS mayor of Redwood City was always against the Latino Community…dated then married Rosanne Foust CEO of SAMCEDA…she was found to have violated state ethic rules when she was on the RC City Council regarding the Cargill Project. She also served on the SamTrans Board…this couple smell of conflict of interest and living the good life from taxpayers money. Let’s see what private interest groups fund this…perhaps the racist police unions? and the powers that be in SMC that don’t want accountability.
Please let us know how to get the signatures. This will be easy to accomplish.
Is Victor Aenlle going to use his wife’s family trust to fight the recall against Sheriff Corpus? Does Sheriff Corpus swear Victor Aenlle in as Assistant Sheriff today? Who will be Sheriff Corpus’ other Assistant Sheriff? Why isn’t TMZ or Netflix picking the story up on Sheriff Corpus and Victor Aenlle? This is better then Sons of Anarchy!
Glad this is happening. It’s a shame it can’t appear on the March ballot. We need to get rid of the cancer called Victina that has stricken the Sheriff’s Office. A mysoginistic, manipulative, narcissist, and a scatter-brained, co-dependent, self-proclaimed victim that have made the Sheriff’s Office a joke. I hope that Aenlle’s wife wakes up and kicks him to the curb the way that John Kovach did to Corpus.
Hartnett is a bad choice. The first thing Corpus is going to say is, “Jim, when did you start dating your wife? Was it on the job as a council member — while you were married? And you’re accusing me of what?”
Not really sure how anyones marital and dating statistics have to do with a recall- nice trying to deflect irrelevant information and
Hopefully this Corpus virus gets locked out long before any recall election
A key allegation in this case is that Sheriff Corpus’ judgment was affected by her affair with Aenlle. Judge Cordell determined Corpus lied about having a romantic relationship with him. That’s going to be a topic in the recall campaign. But if Hartnett is guilty of the same thing, it makes him seem hypocritical. Hopefully that explains it for you.
To outsiders it looks like San Mateo County supervisor Ray Mueller wants to control Mexican deportations in San Mateo County.
Mr. Harnett can, and probably should, pursue the recall path. However, the most expeditious route (and most economical) is to bring these multiple crises of Corpus & Aenlle forth, is through a Grand Jury (GJ) investigation, followed by an accusation if supported by that GJ investigation. Then the trial and the consequence it merits. This path is clear and simple.
The GJ is authorized by statute to investigate either corruption, or willful misconduct, or both for any public and appointed officials. Sheriff Corpus and Mr Aenlle fit that specific audience exactly. That is a low threshold to be proven under these circumstances. Willful misconduct could be violating the County Charter or Count Policies regarding any hiring of employment practices. Willful misconduct could be any of the criminal charges revealed, or admitted thus far, by either Corpus or Aenlle, such as hiding, changing, altering or concealing evidence.
While a recall petition could result in another election, it is the longest route. The Charter Amendment is the second longest route to resolution. Yet a GJ investigation where they simply recall every virtually every witness in the Cordell Report, put them under oath, then vet their statements through search warrants of the technology provider files, the encrypted text application files, the involved (accused) phones and computers—all obtained by search warrants authorized by judges, is a process that shouldn’t exceed 30-60 days. Again The Government Code specifies the court proceedings to be followed to remove any elected or appointed official. The only remedy then is removal from office.
To take a path to otherwise examine the misconduct of the Sheriff internally could involve the POBAR obligations of an internal investigation. Please do not pursue an internal investigation more than has already occurred. That is the path that should not be followed. Between the Board of Supervisors, the County Executive and County Attorney, the lawyers there should see this as the best and quickest common sense solution. That GJ route completely sets aside any on-going Federal investigation that should run its own course focused on Corpus and Aenlle.
Let’s get this show and the road, and let the investigation be thorough and justice be swift. Sheriff Corpus has had months now to make her statement instead of publicly maligning everyone but herself and Mr. Aenlle. The choices made by those two are clear.
Not sure I agree the Grand Jury is a quick process it takea several years sometimes….
Now, filing charges that’s hopefully going to be Santas little gift to the county. Better watch out, better not cry, better not pout I’m telling you why- Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you’re sleeping… he knows if you’ve been bad or good
So at this point, if Judge LaDoris Cordell were to find some legal vehicle to bring the sherrif to address the points of the report, force her to do what she has refused to do thus far. So, would that be a (wait for it) a writ of habeas Corpus?
What’s Wagstaffe waiting for? Charge both of them and put them on trial. Each will get their day in court. And if Corpus is convicted, remove her as sheriff. Don’t bother with a recall or changing the charter. This is the fastest way to get it done.