This story was originally printed in the Jan. 8 edition of the Daily Post. To get important local news stories first, pick up the Post in the mornings at 1,000 Mid-Peninsula locations.
BY AMELIA BISCARDI
Daily Post Staff Writer
Embattled San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus has purchased a new conference room table for $74,000, the Daily Post has learned.
The conference table, described as “boat-shaped” by the designer, includes 12 “cooling fans” in the legs, 10 vents and 10 “lockable access doors,” according to plans for the custom table, which the Post obtained through a California Public Records Act Request.
“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Supervisor David Canepa said. “That’s an expensive table, and it may be the most expensive table in the history of San Matco County.”
The decision by Corpus to spend tax dollars to buy the table comes at a time when the county Board of Supervisors is planning to remove her from office because of a pattern of “lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest and abuse of authority,” as a report by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell put it. On March 5, voters will decide whether to change the County Charter to give the supervisors authority to remove her from office. A recall campaign is also in the works.
The table itself cost $59,508.54 with an installation fee of $8,380.28 and tax of $6,704.02, according to a price quote the sheriff’s office received.
Assistant County Attorney David Silberman said in an email to the Post that it is his understanding that the Sheriff’s Office has not yet been invoiced for the table, meaning the company has not sent over a request for payment. This means that the Sheriff’s Office could pay more than the initial $74.592.84 quote.
The walnut veneer table stands two and a half feet tall, 22 feet long, and 10 feet wide, according to the quote.
The Post asked the Sheriff’s Office why it needs such a table, but they were unable to respond by the Post’s deadline.
The Sheriff’s Office hired Union City-based Northwood Design Partners to design the table and Santa Clara-based contractor One Workplace to build the table, according to the documents obtained by the Post.
Northwood has designed furniture for companies such as Google, Facebook, Zoom, Salesforce and Adobe, according to its website. One Workplace has been hired for previous county projects, such as the Regional Operations Center at 501 Winslow St. in Redwood City.
Other tables with similar sizes tend to be less expensive, with a 22-foot conference table from Walmart priced at $4,691.28 and another similar-sized table on Wayfair priced at $9,499.99. However, Walmart and Wayfair tables don’t sport the cooling fans, vents and lockable doors.
Isn’t there somebody in the county government who can review her proposed purchases to make sure she’s not wasting money? I thought her budget came from the Board of Supervisors? Did they approve this? Apparently not.
The Board provides the Sheriff with funding, yet once provided to the sheriff, then the Board does not control how the funding is ultimately spent. Certain higher contract values must be approved by the Board, while lesser amounts are within the discretion of department heads to spend. Although any of those ultimate spending decisions by the sheriff can influence subsequent budget allocation amounts to the sheriff.
The Sheriff’s Office has a fiscal bureau. Management is by their Financial Director. The purchase of this “five-figure” conference table would had been approved by someone at or near the top of the food-chain. Your guess who?
I believe Aenlle was the only “Director of Administration” the Corpus administration has had.
I had hear about the five-figure conference room table from a county source. The source also shared why the new Sheriff’s Headquarters Building was delayed, because Aenlle demanded modification to “his office.”
She definitely has to be removed or recalled. Either way she needs to be fired
It was previously reported that a $36.7 million surplus at the sheriff’s office dropped to $19.26 in fiscal year 2023-24 and to $3.246 million in the current 2024-25 fiscal year. The sheriff office reserves were already far below the 4% net appropriations minimum. This hefty purchase is going to bleed the reserves even further.
This purchase goes against Gretchen’s previous statement of, “we are confident in our ability to build our reserves back up to the recommended levels.”
Who authorized this purchase? Doesn’t the Director of Finance have a fiduciary duty to ensure a minimum reserve and put the brakes on the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars? What about the County Controller? Did the Controllers office pre-approve this table?
I have been a Craftsman in wood and metal forv40 years. I have made custom dining tables and coffee tables out of Redwood, Acacia and Alaskan Cedar. The most expensive table I’ve ever made was $15,000 and I felt bad charging that much. I must be the worst businessman in history.
It’s obvious this isn’t a cheap retail type table for use in the sheriff’s office if it costs alot to install. I’m glad we have a qualified sheriff that cares about equipping her department with properly designed products. Old government mentality of pennywise dollar foolish is a handicap.
Good grief, “Cindy” – Only slightly less foolish than this outlandish expenditure are your silly arguments of “It must be a good table if installation costs so much” (hilarious how dumb that is) and “The sheriff cares about her department” (which she has proven she does NOT – PURE EGO bought that table!!). You sound like a child. Oh, and I see you still need to learn how to spell, “Cindy.”
Wow. Such table. Yes I agree that this is wasteful spending. All that money going to to these local small businesses and their employees. The furniture design firm isn’t even in Santa Clara county but all the way up in Union City. This thing was even build right in Santa Clara itself. With those sky high wages being paid here, just wow. Surely they could have purchased that Ikea-like stuff that’s made overseas and sold by some bargain price retail corp and saved a little bit. Then we have those installation fees. The department could have used some inmates from a jail work crew to put it all together. Free Labor!
Even better would have been sheets of plywood, sawhorses and a bucket o’ paint. That is surely the most fiscally responsible route.
That table is taller than Doctor Vicky. Why would anyone buy a $74k table? The same two narcissists who spent an additional $200k making someone’s office bigger and claiming it was to upgrade security.
Wait, what?? $200k to make Doctor Strangelove’s office bigger?!?!
If you don’t spend it you won’t get more money next year
A home in Mississippi costs less. A new car costs less. How long are those conference meetings anyway?
The voters have spoken. Resign. Supporters of Measure keep growing
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo
Congressman Kevin Mullin
State Senator Josh Becker
Assemblywoman Diane Papan
Assemblyman Marc Berman
San Mateo County Supervisor Noelia Corzo
San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller
San Mateo County Supervisor Lisa Gauthier
Mayor of Belmont Julia Mates
Vice Mayor of Belmont Robin Pang-Manganaris
Belmont City Councilmember Cathy Jordan
Belmont City Councilmember Gina Latimerlo
Mayor of Brisbane Cliff Lentz
Mayor of Burlingame Donna Colson
Vice Mayor of Burlingame Michael Brownrigg
East Palo Alto City Councilmember Carlos Romero
Mayor of Foster City Stacy Jimenez
Foster City Councilmember Patrick Sullivan
Foster City Councilmember Phoebe Shin Venkat
Vice Mayor of Millbrae Reuben Holober
Mayor of Pacifica Sue Beckmeyer
Mayor pro Tem of Pacifica Mary Bier
Pacifica City Councilmember Christine Boles
Pacifica City Councilmember Greg Wright
Mayor of Redwood City Elmer Martinez Saballos
Redwood City City Councilmember Chris Sturken
Redwood City City Councilmember Diane Howard
Mayor of San Carlos Sara McDowell
Vice Mayor of San Carlos Pranita Venkatesh
San Carlos City Councilmember Adam Rak
San Carlos City Councilmember John Dugan
San Carlos City Councilmember Neil Layton
San Mateo Mayor Rob Newsom Jr
San Mateo Deputy Mayor Adam Loraine
San Mateo City Councilmember Lisa Nash
San Mateo City Councilmember Nicole Fernandez
San Mateo City Councilmember Danielle Cwirko Godycki
Mayor of South San Francisco Eddie Flores
South San Francisco City Councilmember James Coleman
South San Francisco City Councilmember Mark Nagales
I hope the county doesn’t end up on the hook for more than 5 million in Damages for the way they have misshandled their effort to try to put the sheriff out of her office. I think that $10 million figure is high but the biggest payoff will be at they succeed in getting her recalled by the voters with all the distorted information the county has sanctioned being put out. The sheriff wasn’t giving an opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses in the independent report nor did the allegedly unbiased ex-judge doing the report include the explanations provided by the sheriff and her staff. The last Sheriff was much worse and had a lot of cronies in the office that were ready to lay in for the new sheriff. They did their best to make her look bad and the county didn’t even consider that possibility.
You sound like an uneducated tool. The report includes people she hired on her executive team and mistreated, violated labor laws, civil rights etc corpus ignored her staff HR complaints- soooo many that the county had to get involved. The corruption started with Corpus and Aenlle and needs to stop.
Go buy a new brand of cool aid and get some help. The county needs Corpus out she is a major virus spreading disaster everywhere. It is truly to worst self inflicted bad decisions and corruption I have EVER seen and heard of in San Mateo county. The ENTIRE county wants her out- you don’t recover.
wake up Davey- this report was HR complaints! Complaints the Sheriff herself ignored. Complaints that should have put Aenlle on Admin leave while they were investigated. Instead guess what- Aenlle told the Sheriff to ignore them, they were wrong and that she is elected and would look weak to actually acknowledge the VALID concerns and complaints impacting morale and productivity. So the lesson is that if you are elected you still follow labor laws and don’t just go rogue. This Sheriff did this to herself. She put Aenlle over EVERY single employee of the Sheriff department, every single county leader and every single San Mateo county elected official.
What qualifications does Aenlle have to be in that executive position or ANY position at this point in time? keeping and defending Aenlee CAUSED this chaos in San Mateo County- the message is clear she will IGNORE any and ALL complaints against Aenlee, even if they are valid and even if they are against the law. Now go back in time and wake up. This WHOLE situation should have been avoided. Corpus chose otherwise. She is beyond help at this point and needs to resign.
Maybe Victor has a financial interest in this project?
There are no conferences happening at this overpriced conference table. I think that is more alarming than the cost.
This pathetic Sheriff needs to go . She has absolutely no regard for the citizens of San MateoCounty.she is a Narcissistic nutcase.
And why on the SO website that we taxpayers fund have erroneous information showing Victor Aenlle as Chief Of Staff? I will be calling to complain and others should follow. . Does she even understand how stupid this looks not to mention it is a disservice to the citizens? You can’t even update your website?
Get this incompetent dishonest repulsive, sheriff out of office.
She doesn’t even go into the building yet aline know how to talk to anyone. What was being planned at that table? Certainly not union meeting discussions, not resolutions to county issues, maybe its to interview the next 10- 20 lawyers she interviews and they can talk on walkie talkies under the table in their air conditioned lock boxes.
Makes total sense. If this table doesn’t add more evidence of the paranoia Aenlle tainted and equipped the department with, what else do you need to see? Who needs a $74k table with air lock boxes to hide in? Why? For what? Leave the building.
There are no conferences happening at this overpriced conference table. I think that is more alarming than the cost.
This pathetic Sheriff needs to go . She has absolutely no regard for the citizens of San MateoCounty.she is a Narcissistic nutcase.
And why on the SO website that we taxpayers fund have erroneous information showing Victor Aenlle as Chief Of Staff? I will be calling to complain and others should follow. . Does she even understand how stupid this looks not to mention because it does service to the people.