The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors this morning (June 24) unanimously voted to fire Sheriff Christina Corpus.
But Corpus wasn’t handed a cardboard box or escorted out of the building by security after the vote, she has five days to appeal. If she does, she may not be out of office for another four months.
If Corpus appeals, there will be another hearing, which will likely occur in August, County Attorney John Nibbelin has previously said. Once that hearing occurs, the third-party hearing officer has 45 days to render an opinion and send it to the Supervisors, which will have to vote on Corpus’ removal once again.
Today, the board reviewed a recommendation from Probation Office Chief John Keene, held a hearing on June 11 to review evidence prepared by the county’s lawyers and Corpus’ response.
Keene recommended the board “remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office for cause.”
Corpus can appeal the board’s decision by requesting a hearing before another hearing officer. If Corpus requests a hearing, the board will provide her with the option to select from three hearing officers.
At that hearing, Corpus can decide whether it is open or closed to the public or media. She has said for several months now that she wants the opportunity to make her case — and such a hearing would give her the platform she has sought.
The key documents are all secret — both the county’s “Notice of Intent to Remove” that lays out the case for firing her, and her response.
The county says that the “Notice of Intent to Remove” reflects the results of an investigation by the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP. The document is supported by 524 pages of evidence and 42 witness interviews, the county said. It concluded that the sheriff engaged in multiple acts of misconduct that, if true, would support removal from office, the county said.
Retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, who was hired by the supervisors to investigate the case, made more specific allegations in a report about Corpus and her chief-of-staff, Victor Aenlle. Cordell concluded the sheriff was engaged in nepotism, retaliation, intimidation, false arrest and making racial and homophobic slurs. And, on the day the Cordell report came out, Corpus ordered the arrest of the deputies’ union president on allegations that the District Attorney threw out.
Meanwhile, the county’s civil grand jury is investigating Corpus and may issue a recommendation to remove her from office. If the grand jury decides to issue an “accusation” against her, the case would proceed to a jury trial.
Jackie Speier noted at today’s BOS meeting that this entire ordeal has been a sad chapter for San Mateo County, and become a significant burden on the taxpayers. I would add, most importantly, it has been a painfully horrendous period for those you have had to serve under Corpus and her failed leadership. Additionally, all the in-custody deaths and employee malfeasance under her Corpus’ watch…those lawsuits are just starting to trickle in. The people of San Mateo County deserve better. All that said, she is too selfish and arrogant to just “go away.” She’ll continue to fight this no matter how futile and costly to the people of San Mateo County. Corpus is clinically delusional in thinking she is somehow worthy of the position she was “elected” to and that anyone (staff members or the community) wants her around any longer. Shameful! Just go away already!!
I attended. During public comment, Corpus’s lawyers were given ten minutes (extended to twelve), and used that, in part, to again call the process biased, to demand that President Canepa order Supervisors Mueller and Corzo recused, which would sabotage the entire Measure A process, by preventing four of the five Supervisors voting their client’s removal. (Didn’t work.)
One interesting ploy lead attorney Thomas Mazzucco tried was reading out-loud highly selective tidbits from Chief Keane’s pre-removal hearing (structured like a “Skelly hearing” for disciplining public employees, https://shr.ucsc.edu/elr/sup-term-guide/skelly.html), and saying Keane had hugged Corpus at the end, and at one point said “I know. I know.”
Supervisor Mueller alertly spoke up as this PR ploy was being attempted, saying Mazzucco should consider, before reading from the pre-removal hearing transcript, whether that would have the effect of waiving privilege. (Corpus’s legal team had insisted the pre-removal hearing be kept confidential to protect her Police Officer Bill of Rights = POBR privacy.) Mueller asked County Attorney Nibellin whether Mazzucco was effectively waiving that right (such that the Supervisors could now release the pre-removal conference details to the public); Nibellin replied that he could not give an immediate answer and would need to study that question.
Mazzucco also alleged procedural irregularities in Chief Keane’s Skelly-like hearing, though I cannot recall those clearly.
Tick Tock, VicTina.
It is long over due for you both to tuck tail and resign.
Let me get this straight- 2 board members that openly supported Corpus get elected- that was ok.
But then those same 2 board members can’t share wrongdoings they were exposed to and witnessed? Not only that but those same board members made those statements about not trusting Corpus in before November 2024- before measure A was passed, before any process carved out before any investigation was brought forward before any trial.
The sheriff also wrote her disapproval and negative comments on the county manager’s and board of supervisors so it goes both ways. Corpus can’t take away the freedom of speech to others that she also uses herself. Corpus publicly defames multiple county employees.
The courts denied these lawyer requests to delay measure A . Noone said 4/5 vote isn’t possible except for Mazzuco.
Wrong doing is wrong no matter who is Sheriff now or in the past. The board of supervisors have the rights to protect county employees and county funds. This is Corpus and attorney financial greed and corpus wasting tax payer money. Just resign. Corrupt AsF
Looks like another “oops” for Attorney Mazzucco.
The act of Attorney Mazzucco publicly reading from a previously confidential transcript at a public meeting very likely does waive or significantly diminish the privilege of confidentiality for the portions read, and potentially for the entire transcript. The opposing side or the public could now have a strong basis to demand the full release of the transcript, citing the waiver by public disclosure.
Just 30-seconds into his public comments, Corpus’ counsel Mr Mazzucco tried to “tip” the scales of justice in favor of his client. He called the pre-decisional conference in front of Chief Keene, “remarkable,” yet then mischaracterized the conference as, “the first time Sheriff Corpus had an opportunity to tell her side of the story.”
Nothing could be further from the truth, and Mr. Mazzucco set the stage for a series of untrue assertions and unwise statements that were to follow. Those who have followed the storyline know that Corpus declined to tell her story to Judge Cordell as well as the Board of Supervisors and other investigators previously. Instead, she ultimately decided to hide “her side of the story” in a meeting that she required be non-publicly conducted, when given the option to have a public meeting to tell her side of the story. No one believes Corpus’ actions in that regard are transparent.
Then, amazingly when Corpus herself had insisted on secrecy, Mr. Mazzucco waived Corpus’ previous invocation of confidentiality to the proceedings, publicly reversed his client’s preference. His client was not at his side to authorize the reversal of her stated preference. In response to this question from Supervisor Mueller, “Are you waiving privilege to the document, will it be released?” Mazzucco replied, “We are to this document right now as we speak.” When clarification was simply sought by Supervisor Mueller if Mazzucco was opening the door for the public release of the Keker report and other documentation, Mazzucco angrily replied, “We may be” and continued to read from Chief Keene’s recommendation to the Board.
A hasty decision by Mazzucco, influenced by his own anger and desire to try to twist the words of Chief Keene to benefit his client? Very likely. Legal malpractice? Very unlikely. A poor decision? Without any doubt it was a poorly designed strategy and inferior legal argument. What was the statement by Chief Keene? Essentially that he found portions of the presentation compelling on a diverse range of topics that they felt errr important. Compelling toward guilt? Compelling toward innocence? Compelling toward irrelevance or irresponsibility was not mentioned by Chief Keene.
It was one heck of a show, a poor attempt to influence the Board, and a colossal goof by the Sheriff’s legal team. She still has time to save some face and what little dignity she may have remaining by not contesting the termination itself. The people have spoken through their elected representatives. History will make the judgement.
How many millions of dollars is the county going to be OK paying out before they oust this criminal????!!!??? Enough!!!!!
Christina has once again proved what a completely selfish human being she is. She says she was elected by the citizens, but clearly dismisses the fact even more voted to get rid of her. If she cared about the citizens, she would have gracefully resigned. You think she’d want to spare her children from this.
The stress has definitely gotten to her, hair is thinning and she is a walking skeleton. I hope she gets some mental health soon and I hope San Mateo County can get a respectable Sheriff one day soon.
Attorney Mazzculo is out of his league and it shows.
Fly, right on. Ever seem like she’s got 2nd rate Junior Woodchuck attys on this ? Definitely not Supreme Court clerks. I have dealt with this level of incompetence before, it’s all about billable hours, not jurisprudence. She is toast, it’s a matter of when, they will dodge incompetence, naturally. So my question is, at say $500/atty, who is gonna pick up a multi $500K bill ? Certainly not her, maybe Vickie ? Look out for that thick envelope in your mail box, with your bill.
Has anyone done a welfare check on Dan Noyse?
Tina and the midget doctor aren’t a couple any more. Something happened.
Perhaps the rat has left the sinking ship?
The day all this nonsense ends and Corpus has no more power will be a great moment in time. To think she should be actually be committed to working as a Sheriff , instead of grandstanding the public and serving her time with attorneys instead. All of her days with an unqualified realtor and she fights back that this is what a Sheriff should do?
It’s a shame actually that morals, common sense and budgets with county funds are not a strong value for this woman. If this were her own money maybe she would care. None of this seems to matter to her- she has nothing to lose except her reputation, friends, respect and a title.
It’s the end of her career. Maybe she can’t collect the retirement until a certain age so she won’t resign? Maybe someone else was doing her job?
Maybe ask around about Victor, some of his girlfriends around the bay area might surface. Corpus isn’t special to him either- he just enjoys the title also in my opinion.
To think Corpus could have stepped down last year in November and probably gotten hired somewhere else in California- now this disregard for 3 separate independent investigations, a ballot measure, grand jury etc this ill all catch up and when it does POST can decertify her and there could be criminal charges as well and losing part of her pension. In the end, was all of this worth it? Something needs to change to remove a California Sheriff, it’s not that hard to remove a police chief, why make a Sheriff so protected?