The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to hold a special election on March 4, 2025 amid a long-running feud with Sheriff Christina Corpuz.
The special election, reportedly worth millions of taxpayer dollars, will allow voters to decide on proposed amendments to the county charter. If approved, the amendment would give the board the power to remove a sitting sheriff “for cause, including violation of law.” Relates to the duties of a peace officer, gross or repeated neglect of duty, embezzlement of public funds, willful falsification of documents, or obstruction of an investigation. ” The measure was sponsored by Supervisors Noelia Corso and Ray Mueller.
The board approved the special election on Tuesday by a 4-0 vote, with Coach David Canepa absent, according to KNTV.
If approved by a simple majority of voters, the ballot measure would shake up the distribution of power between independently elected branches of government.
“I trust the voters of San Mateo County to make an informed decision,” Corso was quoted as saying. FOX2 KTVU.
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Sheriff Christina Corpuz talks about the January 24, 2023 mass shooting at the Half Moon Bay IDES Association in Half Moon Bay, California. (Samantha Rowley/AFP via Getty Images)
Corpuz, who is also facing a growing recall movement and calls for his resignation, sent a letter to the board condemning the move, saying it would usurp his elected authority.
Voting will take place after retirement Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell ruled last month that Corpus retaliated against a Sheriff's Office employee by “uttering or emailing several racist and homophobic slurs in the workplace,” and that Chief Civilian It released a 408-page report detailing allegations that it gave unwarranted powers to official Victor Aenle. .
The report alleges that the sheriff had an inappropriate personal and possibly intimate relationship with Aenle, an allegation that Corpus denies.
“The Board of Supervisors and the County Executive Team have personally appointed the judge, jury, defense attorney, and executioner,” the sheriff wrote, according to FOX 2.
The sheriff condemned Cordell's report as a “despicable broadcast of baseless allegations.”
“There are so many questions about how the county handled this sordid chapter,” Corpus wrote. “These and other questions may come to light, but for now the real question is whether the county's actions to date and the proposed charter amendment justify taking away voter choice. The question is whether it can be a reason.”
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpuz speaks during a press conference Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in downtown Half Moon Bay, California. (Nhat V. Meyer/MediaNews Group/East Bay Times via Getty Images)
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“We ask that this case continue to protect the rights of the sheriff,” Corpus attorney Tom Mazzucco said at Tuesday's San Mateo County Board of Supervisors meeting. “This is the right thing to do. When you swore allegiance, you swore justice for all.”
He added, “We need to give the sheriff an opportunity to respond. It's premature to usurp voters' privileges.”
Corpus also faces charges brought by the deputy sheriff's union and the Office of the Sheriff's Office (OSS) for unfair labor practices. It is suspected of violating the Brown Act.
“We prohibit employers from interfering in union matters, retaliating against union business, or threatening unions,” Sean Currin, assistant attorney for the sheriff's association, said, according to FOX 2.
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office vehicle in Half Moon Bay, California. (Samantha Rowley/AFP via Getty Images)
Some members of the public defended the sheriff at Tuesday's rally.
“I think she's done great things for the sheriff's office, like crime going down,” Half Moon Bay resident Monica Berlin said. “For you guys to attack her, it just shows you all the better. And I know you're all corrupt.”
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Corpus sought an opportunity to address the allegations. The board on Tuesday approved Mr. Corpus' opportunity to speak under oath on Dec. 10, but Mr. Corzo abstained.
“I am extremely concerned that our sheriffs will continue to lie under oath, even under oath, so I am abstaining from this matter,” Corzo said. Ta.
