San Mateo Co. voters to weigh in on embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus' future
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- Voters in San Mateo County will decide Tuesday whether or not to give the Board of Supervisors the power to remove embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus from office in a special election.
If voters approve Measure A, the county charter would be amended to allow supervisors to be able to remove the sheriff for cause, defined as: "means violation of any law related to the performance of sheriff's duties, flagrant or repeated neglect of the sheriff's duties, misappropriation of public funds, willful falsification of official statements or documents, or obstruction of any investigation into the conduct of a sheriff."
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Corpus has been in the limelight since the November release of a 408-page report alleging the sheriff abused her power. County supervisors commissioned the independent report - conducted by retired Santa Clara County Judge LaDoris Cordell - after receiving internal complaints about the sheriff's conduct. Some of the allegations include abuse of power, retaliation, having an inappropriate relationship with her chief-of-staff, and using racist and homophobic slurs; she denies all wrongdoing.
"There was a mad rush to do this, and it's undemocratic. You're basically canceling out the vote of people," the sheriff told ABC7 News.
The proposition gives supervisors this authority until 2028, the end of Corpus' term. She was elected in January 2023.
Dan Stegink, a Pacifica resident, filed the rebuttal to Measure A and called the supervisors' attempt a "power grab."
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"It's a slippery slope. There's no end to it. And quite frankly, it's clear that the state of California never intended for a district elected Board of Supervisors to have an immediate mechanism to remove a countywide sheriff," he said.
Passage of Measure A will not automatically result in Corpus' removal from office. First, the county elections department will have to certify the vote, which can take weeks. After that, the Board of Supervisors will have to share the reasons they want to fire her with the public and give her a chance to respond. Four out of the five supervisors will have to vote yes to remove her. In that case, the under-sheriff will take her place before supervisors appoint someone else or hold another special election to choose Corpus' successor.
Jim Lawrence, chair of a community group called "Fixin' San Mateo County," said he wants to see the county move forward with more oversight to prevent this issue in the future.
"This addresses a short-term problem. But systematic issues require systematic changes," he said. "We're really hoping that once this passes, the board will take advantage of AB 1185 and install a full independent oversight commission with an inspector general's office."
The special election will take place on Tuesday. Voters received mail-in ballots on Feb. 3.
