Correction: A previous version of this online article should have said that the relationship between Sheriff Christina Corpus and her former chief of staff Victor Anelle is “alleged.” Both Corpus and Anelle deny any such relationship.
BY AMELIA BISCARDI
Daily Post Staff Writer
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s captain who quit rather than follow Sheriff Christina Corpus’ orders to arrest the head of the deputy’s union has filed a lawsuit against the county.
(Read the lawsuit, San Mateo County Superior Court No. 25-CIV-00914, here.)
Former Captain Brian Philip said in the complaint that he refused to bow to public corruption and Corpus’ demands. Philip worked for the Palo Alto police department for 19 years before joining the sheriff’s office.
On Nov. 12, Philip was given orders to arrest the head of the deputies union, Carlos Tapia, who had been critical of Corpus. Instead of arresting Tapia, Philip quit, saying there was no “factual basis to warrant the arrest” alleging timecard fraud.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe later threw out the Tapia’s case. Philip’s lawsuit says the arrest of Tapia followed a pattem of retaliation by Corpus and her former chief of staft and alleged boyfriend, Victor Aenile.
Philip experienced Corpus ignoring him, Undersheriff Dan Perea parking in Philip’s assigned spot, a demotion, being expected to work when he was sick, and meetings being moved to contlict with his childcare schedule, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday by Franklin Law PC.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to a request to comment.
San Matco County spokeswoman Michelle Durand said that the county has not reccived the complaint and therefore couldn’t comment.
Philip was brought into the department by Corpus, as the pair had a “decades-long professional friendship.” The lawsuit alleges that Aenlle was threatened by their friendship. Aenlle allegedly talked with Philip on Sept. 15 and told him “not to have any further communication with Sheriff Corpus.”
Minions
The lawsuit states that Corpus and her “minions” devised a plan to get rid of Tapia and Philip ahead of the release of a 400-page investigation conducted by former Judge LaDoris Cordell of Palo Alto.
“Sheriff Corpus thought she would be killing two birds by throwing one stone, but she ended up tossing a boomerang that returned this lawsuit and Carlos Tapia being cleared,” the lawsuit said.
Two days after Philip quit and Tapia was arrested, Assistant Sheriff Matthew Fox quit because of the sheriff’s office’s “dysfunction and disarray,” according to the Post’s interview with Fox’s attorney, Michael Rains.
Philip was the head of the Internal Affairs Department, which investigated complaints against deputies. In September, Perea instructed Philip to sign an internal affairs notice. After receiving the draft, “he quickly identified various deficiencies in the draft notice,” according to the suit.
Philip refused to sign the document, stating that the name of the interviewee and the date and time of the interview were absent, which Philip said violates the police officer’s bill of rights.
The suit said after Philip sent the email declining to sign the notice, Aenlle texted the Human Resources Manager asking if Philip was past his one-year probationary period. He was, a fact that makes it harder to fire him.
Then Philip was removed from his position and placed in a “dead-end position” where another captain was already working, overseeing the jail, and removed him from overseeing firing range duties and the task force to create a childcare substation.
Philip’s attorney, Zak Franklin, is the same attorney who recently recovered $8 million for deputy Carryn Barker, who said she was sexually harassed and assaulted by other officers. The county settled the lawsuit shortly before Corpus was set to testify in the case.
Rotated out
Yesterday, the deputy’s union said employees got an email from Perea stating anyone in specialty assignments for over three years are likely to be rotated out of their positions.
The release said this change “disproportionately targets the most vocal critics of the staff,” adding that the unions were not informed of this beforehand, as required by labor law.
Removal of Corpus
Ballots have been mailed to voters asking them if they wish to change the county charter to give the board of supervisors the temporary authority to remove the sheriff from office. The ballots are due by March 4. The authority to remove the sheriff would only last until 2028, when Corpus’ term ends.
Corpus and the county are battling in court over the election.
Christopher Ulrich, Corpus’ attorney, contends the vote should take place in the November 2026 general election, when such measures typically go before voters. But the county contends a March 4 referendum is perfectly legal and it’s too late to stop the election process because ballots have already been mailed out.
On Thursday, the San Mateo City Council voted 5-0 for a resolution saying they had no confidence vote in Corpus, joining Millbrae and San Carlos in approving similar resolutions. The Belmont and Redwood City councils next week will vote whether to endorse Measure A.
Corpus is straight up evil. She lost all of her supporters, her kids, her husband, and her entire department employees because she fell in love with a narcissist who is married with children. Was it worth it Christy?
The degree of acute criminal sophistication described in the hyperlinked complaint prepared by Phillips’ attorneys is unbelievably informative. It asserts the intentional failure to surface, and appropriately address, Carryn Barker’s sexual assault and harassment in what effectively amounts to deliberate election interference by Corpus, substantially before the election, to mischaracterize Bolanos. That would seem to be supported by Corpus’ repeated false assertions that the Barker matter was the sole responsibility of Bolanos prior to her election, when Corpus herself as a Captain had both the opportunity and obligation to report the conduct, while intervening to stop it. She did not meet her obligations and instead, leveraged a poor victim into an unknowing political pawn, instead of providing Barker with appropriate support.
Corpus victimized Barker further through that failure to act properly as a Sheriff’s Captain, while encouraging Barker to bring a suit against Bolanos and the County. Those actions not only show no compassion for Barker, they show calculated, intentional, deliberate malfeasance by Corpus herself.
Other details in the complaint reveal the method of embodying the criminal conspiracy between the members of the corrupt Corpus administrative team to violate the civil rights of several people she or Aenlle deemed to be political enemies, and her own cronyism. This complaint alone reveals the need for a massive and expedited federal corruption probe, in addition to a Grand Jury accusation to remove the elected and appointed corrupt individuals. Keep the recall effort going too. Be certain to vote your conscience on Measure A.
WHAT does Barker have to do with the time Corpus has been in office? THE current Sheriff 2023-now is accountable for the current conditions of the department and the people she hired and retaliated against- including the above Captain
Lets stop gaslighting and pretending falsely arresting an employee is not a crime or misappropriating funds or nepotism or
Well Accountable, I guess I owe you an apology that I read the article and the hyperlinked complaint fully, then connected dots that you may have not read. Barker was settled during Corpus’ term in office, for a record setting $8M, after it came to light that Corpus failed to act appropriately as a Sheriff’s Captain when Barker had reported the conduct to her. Instead, Corpus did nothing to address the wrongful behavior or intervene, except pressure Barker to sue the County and Bolanos in order to influence the election against Bolanos.
My comments are not gaslighting, and are certainly not minimizing Corpus’ corruption while in office. What she has done both before and since assuming office is wrong, unacceptable and down right criminal. Corpus’ criminal, misleading and fraudulent behaviors began well before her term in office. I apologize that my comments were not more clear for you to follow and understand that. The article above is well written. The complaint prepared by counsel for Phillip, the same attorneys who represented Barker, was composed to be comprehensive and filled in many unanswered questions about why Corpus moved to quash the subpoena for her deposition in the Barker case, clearly illustrating the truth behind the corruption of Corpus herself, along with her cronies on the executive team.
My apologies too- I read your comment wrong- the Barker case is one of the gaslighting comments that gets brought up in terms of deflecting on the past. The Phillips lawsuit is well written and connects the dots to Corpus as a Captain and Corpus as a Sheriff. Both roles Corpus side stepped solving problems happening in front of her. Again, I see and support your commet and apologize for my prior statement – peace.
Philip deserves a Gold Medal for standing up to corruption at a tremendous personal cost.
What pieces of garbage Corpus, Victor and Perea are. I really can’t wait for the indictments to come down. Tick tock.
If warrants are issued for Corpus, Anelle, Perea and Fox it would be fitting that they are arrested by SMCSO Deputies and Tapia’s handcuffs are used on their wrists. These people have ruined the Sheriff’s Office and law enforcement in San Mateo County. The money the will cost the county could have went to good causes. Their pensions should be stripped from them too.
San Mateo County Special Election, Measure A.
VOTE NO! Vote NO on special election Measure A.
It is not whether you agree or disagree with what the Sheriff did or did not do, this is giving up our rights as voters and letting politicians have the authority until 2028 to reverse the voters one right they have, and that is the right to vote.
It is for the voters to recall the sheriff as a vote of no confidence, not for the Board of Supervisors.
It is the voters’ right, and not giving up our rights (more of them) to the consolidated power in the hands of a small group of political elites on any Board of Supervisors that then weaponizes the government, at taxpayer expense, against We, the People.
Measure A is another runaway train to deny the voters, the good people of San Mateo County, its rights, its authority.
This ballot measure is NOT about the sheriff…I hope all the good people of San Mateo County understand this. It is only about GIVING UP OUR RIGHTS and letting a handful of politicians decide for us until 2028 the fate of any elected official we, the voters, voted for or against. It is not for them to decide. It is the voters. This is very dangerous.
You are one significantly uninformed Taxpayer person, which does you and those to whom you echo and spew Corpus irrelevant rhetoric, yet another tremendous injustice. The Board of Supervisors are elected by the people to make just these decisions among others. This is precisely, in part, why they were elected, to do what is necessary for the people. Corpus appears to do solely what serves her and her cronies best, then falsely asserts it is for the people.
The Government Code guides the paths available to the elected Board; the Board in this case has pursued all paths available to them. They range from civil and criminal investigations, to entertaining the recall effort, to this limited and sunsetting charter amendment. No rights of the people, nor Corpus for that matter, are given up. If Corpus were to choose, she could potentially run again; she is not a victim and corruption by elected and appointed officials is not okay. This Measure is absolutely about the corruption done by Corpus and her cronies.
Nonetheless everyone should vote as their consciences dictate, and make well informed decisions in the upcoming election. Your position is not supported by the facts of this matter Taxpayer person.
My vote counts for Measure A – vote yes ! The voters are the ones giving the county our support to stop the chaos now and save the tax payers millios.
Mr. taxpayer. Sometimes you vote for people and then they do bad things. That does not mean that they should stay in office. I’m tired of hearing about the will of the people. It’s OK to admit that you voted for someone who has committed atrocities and they no longer deserve the office they acquired.
Pretty darn sure that Measure A is ….wait for it – oh right it ends in 2028 the end of Corpus elected term. 100% Measure A is about Corpus and getting her out of office for multiple violations . What is really sad the damage she has done and continues to do and the amount of time for the Attorney General and FBI to step in.
what are you not understanding?? How is this taking away the voters rights? you get to VOTE for this measure. While it’s a serious disappointment to see anyone vote no on Measure A that is your RIGHT to do so. However, the sheriff’s office is in absolute turmoil and this VOTE allows the county to act faster than a recall that will not happen until November. God knows how much worse the condition of the office will get if us voters have to wait until a november recall. This vote on measure A is allowing the voters to decide if the board should step in and remove the sheriff to lessen the significant damage already done. wake up people, this has nothing to do with gender or race, it has everything to do with ABILITY, something this sheriff lacks.
I’m not someone that would typically support a charter amendment giving even temporary power to the BOSand would prefer a recall however, this case calls for immediate action.
The citizens of San Mateo County cannot wait for a Recall.
The corruption has been so egregious with Multiple lawsuits, racism , retaliation and downright corruption. The evidence is absolutely overwhelming.
For those of you that think we should wait for a recall, think again. Giving power to the board of supervisors is only temporary and our only option for quick action to stop this lunatic Sheriff.
The public safety depends on it, and our deputies are depending on us to make the right decision.
VOTE YES ON A
I worked with Corpus for many years and she embodied all that is wrong with DEI practices, as opposed to a merit/performanced-based promotional system. While “elections have consequences,”Corpus has always lacked the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for competency and true leadership, though her complete void of any semblance of character and the absolute disregard to the real values of her sworn profession must have come as a surprise to most within San Mateo County. “Yes on Measure A” is a necessary imperative. The county cannot wait for a general election to stop this dangerous and fiscally abhorrent situation from continuing unabated. Voting “no” on measure A is simply putting lives and public safety at risk and exposing the county to limitless financial loss.
After reading Dave Price’s excellent op-ed on Corpus and Measure A, I’m doing a quick 180. Price points out there have been similar cases in other counties, including LA, and Supervisors stepping in is the quickest, surest way to handle a wayward sheriff.
It’s very unlikely the SM Supervisors would use this power outside of this single case, and Measure A sunsets in 2028 at the end of Corpus’ term.
I’m going to vote yes on Measure A and encourage others to do likewise.
See Price’s editorial here: https://padailypost.com/2025/01/29/opinion-a-response-to-arguments-sheriff-corpus-might-make-to-stay-in-office/
He covers all the bases.
The voters voted her and the voters need to vote her out. This is not up to the supervisors to decide. They do not represent me.
And the voters will vote her out with Measure A – just a year earlier than with an expensive time wasting negligent recall.
How shallow are you? A power grab for what- what would the board of supervisors grab and gain- a stable sheriff office, ending countless law suits, ending a hostile work environment, increasing public safety?
When a few people have been wronged a recall could be a better choice. When dozens and dozens of people and an ENTIRE sheriff office is wronged Measure A is needed now. Too bad the Attorney General is worthless – this could have been stopped months ago. When the FBI comes into play i really hope people like you realize you are part of the problem ignoring victims.
I hear a few nonsense words from this Sheriff about any topic in the sheriff office. Most issues are ignored or a new topic is presented by her to try and scapegoat bad press. Words are just words bad choice of actions is everything.
She seems very focused on talking about herself and not about her department, or the county or just other people in general. The narrative is just crazy talk- there is a power grab- but for wheat- no examples of what exactly os being grabbed? She is latina and female- like many many leaders in this county – what does that prove? The prior sheriff issues ? This is 2025 why is she presenting old issues? The gold old boys club? What does that mean? She hired her friend a realtor. And the board of supervisors are trying to get power for who and what? They have an election next year and just thought the only way to get reelected was to start a feud with the sheriff and a historical recall? I am not buying these voter rights, power grab, good old boys club, ltina female narratives- they make absolutely no sense
Own your mistakes. Apologize, move on in life. Go be with the guy she wants to be with and resign, retire be with the children that need a healthy peaceful mom
Captain Brian Philip had the personal integrity to give up his livelihood and career to stand up against corruption and not follow an illegal order. That’s top brass behavior. Most people provide a lip service vow that they’ll stand up against corruption, but they falter when an opportunity presents itself in reality. Phillips actually did it. When Corpus is removed (yes, when not if), Captain Brian Philip should be named Sheriff. He has the personal caliber of integrity that San Mateo County needs in a Sheriff to restore honor and dignity to the position again.
When the Board of Supes fires Corpus, the Undersheriff, Dan Perea, would be first in line to assume her role. If he has half a brain he will resign, or they will almost certainly fire him too for colluding with so many of Corpus’ misdeed. Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan, who Corpus and her dirty little henchman Victor, tried to fire, is still a County employee, and has expressed his desire to return to the Sheriff’s Office. He will be next in line, and will be a popular choice among the rank and file. His first action should be to appoint Brian Phillip as Undersheriff.
Perea aka Borat, does not live in the county and can not assume that position. He will be escorted from the building possibly in handcuffs.
Besides not living in the county, the under sheriff is not elected and can be terminated due to numerous retaliatory actions, hostile HR complaints and documented corruption. Directlynpart of the false intimidating illegal arrest. Defying county orders not to arrest without an investigation
When the time comes Parea is first to go after Corpus.
Waiting for the day when Corpus and Parea’s access cards no longer work.
Inevitable
Going down without any dignity and lacking class.
Pray for this to end
There is no “first in line to assume her role” in cases where the elected sheriff vacates their office. While the history of the sheriff’s office has seen more Board of Supervisors’ appointments to the position of sheriff than special elections as the choice of the Board, the trend in the more recent discussions has been to only appoint an interim or acting sheriff, until the next general election. In fact, a previous Grand Jury report strongly supported the interim or acting appointment only until the next general election approach over an appointment until the end of the term option, to best permit voter participation over economics.
It is unlikely that Phillip would be appointed as Sheriff; his experience is as a city police lieutenant, with only a year or so as a sheriff’s captain, do not support him as more than technically qualified. Nonetheless Philip’s actions speak volumes about his character. Similarly, Monaghan likely still retains the position of Assistant Sheriff, likely on leave at full pay, and his experience in the requisite areas needed to be sheriff, added to his close relationship with Callagy, do not put him in the optimal position for an appointment for the position of sheriff at present. There are some retired others who could be appointed, who would agree not to run for sheriff, that would be excellent choices; at least three come immediately to mind. Then Monaghan could be properly mentored and run himself if he is interested in the position. The same goes for Phillip, who should be offered his former position back once the Corpus team is removed.
It would be great to see the Daily Post present an article that explains both the options and the historical perspectives on those options to fill vacated sheriffs positions in San Mateo County. Information is available online going back to the election of the great Brendan McGuire, who had passed away yet remained on the ballot and was elected.
I’m soooo confused and I’m easily confused. Wasn’t Captain Philip a trusted confidant of Christy? A person that knew her vision? A person that wanted her to be a sheriff you can trust? So wait does that mean Philip was part of the ole boys network or the entrenched resistance, or even worse someone who wanted to grab power from the victim Latina?
Sorry the truth is Philip thought she was ethical and a sheriff you can trust. Christy is neither. Vote yes on measure A so recology can take the trash out. Fortunately Michelle Garcia, shapooo, Armanino and Borat are in the same garbage bag.
I’m just really sad because I backed Christy and now I’m trying to interject myself into who replaces Christy. It’s like drugs. Just say no to Paulie and Christy. YES on measure A. Let’s go measure A. Let’s shoot for 90 percent yes on measure A.