County votes, Sheriff out?

On March 4, San Mateo County held a special election to vote on Measure A, which has now passed with 85% of the vote, giving the Board of Supervisors the power to oust Sheriff Christina Corpus. Corpus, who oversees law enforcement in San Mateo County, has come under scrutiny for allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a colleague, a culture of retaliation in her office and for using racist and homophobic slurs in the workplace as detailed in a Nov. 12, 2024 report.

The report, commissioned by San Mateo County Counsel John Nibbelin, found that Corpus had an affair with Victor Aenlle, a member of her election campaign, and later her transition team when she was elected. Corpus promoted Aenlle, who is not a certified peace officer, to positions such as Reserve Deputy, Executive Director of Administration, Chief of Staff and, in response to the Board of Supervisors’ no-confidence vote, Assistant Sheriff. Corpus has also given Aenlle several pay raises.

“People in government or law enforcement need to be qualified for what they do,” said sophomore Annie Donnellan. “It was corrupt [that Corpus] put people in places [where they] didn’t have the authority or the experience, and especially that she used her power to lay people off. It’s put a dark mark on the sheriff’s office, and that’s bad because we need to have faith in our law enforcement.”

Corpus, along with her Executive Team, struck back against those in her office who contributed to the investigation or raised questions about Corpus’ relationship with Aenlle. A sheriff who was interviewed for the report was fired, the president of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association union was arrested on charges of fraud that were later dismissed by a judge and most interviewed employees feared retaliation from Corpus, Aenlle and Corpus’ executive team, according to the report.

Lisa Diaz Nash, one of the San Mateo City Council members and a supporter of Measure A, believes Corpus should resign.

“I am very disappointed in the actions of our county sheriff,” Diaz Nash said. “The sheriff is responsible for the safety of everyone in the county, and we entrust our funds [and] beliefs in the county Sheriff’s Office. Through her actions with [Aenlle], she has demonstrated that she has broken trust with the people and is not capable of living up to what we elected her to do.”

When Corpus was voted into her position as County Sheriff in 2022, some had lofty expectations for her.

“I thought that she [was] really empowering because she [is] the first female Sheriff [of San Mateo County],” said junior Emily Peng. “I had really high hopes for her. And then the report came out … and [now] I think she needs to be kicked out immediately.”

Recently, the Board of Supervisors and several city councils in the county have unanimously passed no-confidence votes against Corpus, including the San Mateo City Council. A no-confidence vote is a measure passed by a governing body declaring a person as unfit to continue their position.

“Our morale [among the sheriffs] is extremely low,” Diaz Nash said. “The main reason why we voted [for the] no-confidence [vote] was because the county operates our jail. The morale of the officers there, the things that were going on in the jail, [have] put the jails in a very dangerous position, and that is not what we entrust the county Sheriff’s Office to do with our jail.”

Despite San Mateo County and the captains of the Sheriff’s Office asking Corpus to resign, she has refused and has denied the allegations of the report, describing herself as a victim of racism and sexism.

“Up until now, I’ve stayed silent about the retaliation and abuse of power, discrimination and bullying tactics I’ve been facing as part of a broader pattern I can no longer ignore,” said Corpus in September 2024, when the investigation ensued. “[County Executive Mike Callagy] made an inappropriate and offensive request [that] I needed to inform him who I dated within the county and when. As a woman of color who has endured sexual harassment in this county, I was shocked by his actions and conduct.”

However, some are skeptical of Corpus’ response.

“While she is a trailblazer [as] the first Latinx female sheriff in San Mateo County, there’s a lot of evidence against her,” said sophomore Chase Rokala. “I don’t think it’s possible that many people could be discriminating against her and doing what she’s accusing them of doing.”

In early January, Corpus filed a $10 million lawsuit against San Mateo County, alleging discrimination, defamation and harassment.

“I’m very hopeful, everyone I’ve had a conversation with has been in favor of Measure A,” Diaz Nash said. “Measure A [exists] to give the supervisors very limited powers … [and] we’re in a situation right now where the safety of our county requires us to take extraordinary measures.”

Measure A, which gives county supervisors the power to remove sheriffs from office for breaking the law related to neglect of duties, misappropriation of funds, falsifying documents or obstructing an investigation will expire in 2028.