Sheriff Christina Corpus has been hit with new complaints from the deputies union including one that says she is refusing to let the union’s president return to work or even enter the sheriff’s office worksites.
(Read the complaint.)
On Nov. 12, Corpus ordered the arrest of Union President Carlos Tapia for time card fraud — a case that District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe later threw out, saying there was no evidence of a crime.
Still, Sheriff Corpus opened an internal investigation into Tapia and banned him from the sheriff’s offices, according to a new complaint the union has filed with the California Public Employment Relations Board, or PERB. PERB is the agency that adjudicates complaints filed by unions of employees in government agencies.
In April, investigators for PERB determined that Corpus and her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle, discriminated and retaliated against Tapia. PERB said their actions prevented Tapia from representing employees, which is a violation of state law.
The complaints come as the Board of Supervisors has begun the process of firing Corpus following an investigation that accused her of nepotism, retaliation and intimidation of her employees, conflicts of interest and lies. The process to remove her could take four to six months, county officials said.
The union also says that Corpus has changed how Internal Affairs investigations are conducted. Now when accused officers are interviewed, they aren’t being told what policies they’re accused of violating, the union says.
If the officer objects to an interview under these circumstances, they risk being accused of insubordination and fired, the union’s complaint said.
Moreover, the change in interview practices is something that must be discussed in advance with the union in a process called “meet and confer,” the complaint said. Changing the practice without meet-and- confer constitutes an unfair labor practice, under state law, the union claims.
The union also says that Corpus has intentionally more deputies to work in the jails than is required, which takes deputies away from other tasks. Again, this change was made without the mandatory meet-and-confer process, the complaint said.
The union has filed its complaints with PERB, which can enforce labor laws against employers by issuing orders, seeking remedies to stop unlawful conduct, and potentially ordering employers to pay fines or back pay. If the PERB finds that an employer has violated labor laws, they can issue an order requiring the employer to cease the unlawful behavior and take corrective actions. This may include reinstating employees, paying back wages, or voiding policies that are discriminatory.
Does ABC7 news Danny Noyes report impartial news? I think not, he only reports to twist facts for his vacation and dinner party buddies Corpus and Aenlle
He should be retired
“Sheriff” Corpus and Little Man will cost the County of San Mateo at least $50Million by the time they are out the door.
San Mateo County government will be paying millions once all this is over. At the end of the day, this is public money and should not be used to settle suits caused by the direct actions of Christina Corpus and Victor Anelle. Corpus and Anelle should be personally responsible for all this. They’ll be bankrupt of course, but ruined personally band professionally is what they deserve.
ask Wagstaff. There are 77 lawsuits pending in SMC (many are related to other matters), but Corpus and little Vicky have engendered how many ? And the colossal arrogance of little Vicky in filing a $15M lawsuit, it should be the other way around, how about we sue you and your girlfiend for denigrating the Sheriff’s office’s honor, trust and reputation of the hundreds of hard working folks who work tirelessly ? Much less creating a workforce which detests, hates and despises you and all you (dont) stand for. Peasants.
Interesting continuation of clearly prohibited events and behaviors by the administration of apparently corrupt Corpus cronies to violate labor laws, retaliate against Mr. Tapia and expose taxpayers to unnecessary court costs.
I cannot find a Request for Proposals (RFP) for internal affairs investigation contractors on the Sheriff’s Office RFP webpage. There are none there now between 2021 to date, yet it appears Corpus has hired Mr. Addington to conduct at least this one against Mr. Tapia, without a public hiring process. No RFP’s of that nature are on the County Executive’s, or OpenGov procurement, webpages for the Sheriff’s Office needs in that regard either. Yet it appears Corpus nonetheless has hired Mr. Addington to conduct at least this one internal investigation against Mr. Tapia, without a public hiring process of the contractor involved.
I guess properly that contractor would be former Chief Addington, from Pittsburg PD in Contra Costa County. How exactly does his experience in Contra Costa County relate to San Mateo County? Could it be the 2014-2016 assertions by a Pittsburg PD whistleblower lieutenant that Pittsburg PD, with Addington as Police Chief, “failed to disclose material facts about the existence of internal affairs [IA] file”, that the, “IA number that was later listed as used in error” apparently to conceal the existence of the internal investigation and to avoid divulging it to the courts as reported in the East Bay Times in 2016. Somehow that scandal qualifies Addington to conduct SMSO IA investigations against whistleblowers? Addington denies culpability for that alleged concealment, calling the repeated lack of disclosure and concealment attempts of the IA number errors, maybe even regrettable errors. Later in 2016, subsequent to a lawsuit by the same whistleblower, the East Bay Times reported that Addington did, “adamantly deny the allegations” of wrongdoings of coercion and retaliation. Corpus too adamantly denies wrongdoing for wrongdoings and corruption allegations during her term too.
Then there was that assertion of intentionally mis-classifying reported crimes, to Pittsburg PD, as “suspicious circumstances” to give the false appearance that Pittsburg PD crimes statistics fell as those in neighboring communities soared at about that same time frame. All unproven and denied as an intentional practice under his command by Addington. The whistleblower was terminated, his lawsuit dropped or dismissed. Yet the similarities of deception and public corruption have mind-blowing correlations to the corrupt Corpus cronies that San Mateo County continues to experience.
Let me be clear, Mr. Addington’s culpability is unproven in those Pittsburg allegations, and there were others. Yet, what is the adage, birds of a feather?
I hope that Tapia’s arrest results in Federal Civil Rights violation charges against Corpus, Aenlle, Perea, and everyone who had a hand in the false arrest. The Civil suit should cost them all everything they own, but I’d like to see them brought up on criminal charges too. Get the Recall campaign started NOW. Get these bums out of office!!!!
Christina, what are you doing? This is not you. You have never stooped so low as to exist in this swamp of quicksand you find yourself in. Your electorates are fed up and sickened by what you have done to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. It’s all over the news. You were voted in by less than 80,000 in a full-on Presidential election. You have now been voted out by over 90,000 voters in a special election where people made special effort to get out and vote to get rid of you! And now your attorneys are sucking you dry. You know what that means? Voters came out in droves to vote you OUT. How does that feel? Even the community you had to lean on hoping for support is sick and tired of you. You have done nothing for them. All the money it is alleged that Victor may have allegedly given people to donate to your campaign are sick and tired of you. You have done nothing to make this community a better place. You don’t even show up to work unless there’s a camera in your face for your next photo op. People are appalled by your attachment to Victor Aenlle. Either you are completely ignorant, or psychologically abused, which many now believe, or you are completely blind to see what he has done to you. You are treating him as if he is an equivalent to manage the Sheriff’s Office at any given junction – the Sheriff’s Office he has never worked in. You raised him up from a flunked out reserve deputy realtor to the equivalent to Assistant Sheriff or Undersheriff. He was a Caldwell Banker Real Estate Agent Christina, nothing more. Clearly you have thrown away all of your ethics and standards. You have thrown away any employee relationships you may have once had. You have thrown away your relationship with your husband and children. It is said that even Victor’s family has distanced themselves from him. Nothing in your life is working right now. No principles, no ethics. I worked with you for many years Christina, as Deputy, Sergeant, Lieutenant and above. I realized then as I do now that you were in no way qualified for the task you took on, the task that Victor pumped you up for, for his benefit. So you leaned on outsiders to hold you up instead of relying on the qualified men and women that are now holding the Sheriff’s Office together. But the outsiders didn’t buy your cheating and lies or Victor’s heavy-handed manipulation, and one-by-one were dismissed or ran for the hills, all except Victor who is desperate for attention.
Let it go Christina. Let it go! You’ll never win this contest. You gave it all to the devil and are burning in flames alongside him. Everyone detests you and what you have done. Everyone detests Victor. Everyone wants you both gone. You know this. Please save whatever is left of your pride, take your doodle and go live your life. We will sweep up the wreckage and persevere. So embarrassing!
Christina believes she’ll get special treatment from the board of supervisors because she’s a Latina. All five of them make their decisions based on identity politics — not on merit. In the end, the board will save her and say she’s learned her lesson. That’s why we need a recall.