Ryan Monaghan, who San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus tried to fire as assistant sheriff after he cooperated with an investigation into the Sheriff’s Office, is now heading a countywide initiative to combat human trafficking.
Redwood City Police Chief Kristina Bell sent out a memo to her employees yesterday (June 18) saying Monaghan will work out of the Redwood City Police Department in the role of director of inter-jurisdictional operations. In his new role, he’s an employee of the DA’s office.
She said Monaghan will be leading a countywide initiative on human trafficking on behalf of the San Mateo County Chiefs and Sheriffs Association and other local, regional and state agencies.
She said Monaghan will be working out of an interview room in the Redwood City Police Station.
Sheriff Corpus fired Monaghan on Sept. 20 after he confirmed to her that he spoke to retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, who was hired by the county Board of Supervisors to investigate HR complaints in the Sheriff’s Office.
However, San Mateo County Executive Mike Callagy halted Corpus’ termination of Monaghan, saying her action might be seen as retaliation or an attempt to interfere with an independent investigation, according to records obtained by the Daily Post.
Despite her attempt to fire him, he remains a county employee — but he hasn’t been working, until now.
In March, Monaghan filed a claim against Corpus and the county government for $5 million, saying he was a victim of retaliation and that his professional reputation had been damaged by the sheriff’s actions.
According to his claim, Corpus cried during the meeting when she fired him and told him she was “disappointed in him.” She said she had heard what he had been saying about her and that he had not been checking in with her about the negative press she had been receiving, the claim said.
Corpus is accused of corruption, including conflicts of interest, nepotism, retaliation, intimidation, false arrest and making racial and homophobic slurs. The county supervisors have begun a process to terminate her. And the county’s civil grand jury — which has the power to remove an elected official — has summoned Corpus to testify as part of an investigation it is conducting, according to court documents filed by Corpus’ attorney.
Monaghan is a 27-year veteran of the San Mateo Police Department and in 2021 took a job as chief of the Tiburon department. Corpus hired him in January 2023, just after she took office.
Can Victor write Corpus a doctor’s note if she misses work more than 3 days in a row?
I’ve got to think that this is a job for the sheriff-in-waiting. Callagy wants Monaghan to be engaged in things and ready to go when Corpus is finally fired.
Monaghan has “county time” on US Perea, as well as AS Enriquez, which may or may not be significant in interpreting the applicable statutes should, or when, Corpus is no longer in office. Government Code §24105, is specific concerning vacancies in the Office of the Sheriff that, “…if the vacancy occurs in the office of sheriff, the duties of such office shall be discharged by the undersheriff, or if that position is vacant, by the assistant sheriff, or if that position is also vacant, by the chief deputy next in line of authority.”
Therefore by statute, upon Corpus’ removal from office, the undersheriff statutorily should be the one to temporarily discharge the duties of the sheriff. The undersheriff does not become the sheriff. The undersheriff discharges the duties of the sheriff, just as if the sitting sheriff left the state temporarily. The undersheriff remains the undersheriff in title. The duration the discharge of duties is also specified in 24105; “…until the vacancy in the office is filled in the manner provided by law.”
Therefore if the Grand Jury also returns an Accusation against Perea, and he is removed from his appointed undersheriff role, Monaghan would be next in line to discharge the duties of sheriff until the vacancy is filled in the manner provided by law. Monaghan would do so as the senior assistant sheriff, he would not automatically become the sheriff. One step at a time is how these processes should proceed, with full transparency to the public.
In my original read of this article, I missed the last sentence of the second paragraph that reads, “In his new role, he’s an employee of the DA’s office.” If accurate, meaning that not just Monaghan’s pay codes reflect the DA’s Office for charging and billing purposes, instead of the SO or, whether or not it is merely a temporary duty assignment (TDY) the entire context of my prior comment changes. If Monaghan is no longer is classified as an Assistant Sheriff then, by statute, he is not in line to perform the duties of the Sheriff, if the Sheriff is removed from office.
By statute, the task of completing the Sheriff’s duties, if the Sheriff is removed from her position, would fall to the Undersheriff; unless he too were removed from his position. The Undersheriff remains the Undersheriff and does not become the Sheriff in such an instance. Controversy may exist as to whether a complete and full background investigation was every completed on the Undersheriff prior to his hiring. This too could affect his employment status despite the passage of time.
Similarly, the next in line, if Monaghan is no longer a sheriff’s employee, is then the new Assistant Sheriff, unless his hiring also did not follow County and state (Peace Officers Standards and Training-POST) protocols. Assistant Sheriff Enriquez had a break in service from Santa Ana PD, which requires an updated background investigation for continued state POST certification. Enriquez’, and Perea’s for that matter, training in the management of correctional facilities and jails have not yet been made public. Based on the latest developments, this becomes critical to proper operations of SMSO.
The in-custody death article in the Palo Alto Daily Post article today (6/23/2025) reveals that SMSO appears to have violated their own hiring, training and assignment protections, protocols and procedures relative to the latest in-custody death, which is a separate topic. One thing is certain, the SO is a shambles despite the best efforts of their personnel and the County is on the hook for the state of affairs there.
Terrific story and photos in this morning’s Daily Post showing the sheriff on her way to the grand jury hearing. As they say, the walls are closing in.
I sure would NOT want to be in her shoes, not even in her fancy designer boots that Victor gave her!