San Mateo County leaders urge residents to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - The San Mateo City Council voted unanimously, 5 to 0, to pass a resolution for a Vote of No Confidence for embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus late Thursday night. 

As ballots for a special election begin arriving in the mailboxes of San Mateo County residents, a crowd of local leaders stood in solidarity with Sheriff's Office employee unions to support Measure A, a ballot measure that would give the county Board of Supervisors the power to oust embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus. 

Dozens of city council members and mayors from various cities in the county gathered outside the County Center in Redwood City, holding up signs that read "Yes on A: Remove the Sheriff."

"Back in 2020, I was an early supporter of Sheriff Christina Corpus," said Redwood City Mayor Elmer Martinez Saballos. "But the unprecedented crisis that has enveloped this agency due to Sheriff Corpus' leadership puts our community at risk, our deputies at risk, our civilian staff at risk ... We all have a responsibility to call out unacceptable behavior and Measure A is that opportunity."

Calls for Corpus to resign arose after a 400-page investigation into her administration was released in November. It contained findings of abuse of power, retaliation, intimidation, homophobia and racism in Corpus' office and also accused her of having an inappropriate relationship with her chief of staff.

"Under Sheriff Corpus' command, there has been a loss of confidence in her leadership,"  Carlos Tapia, president of the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff's Association union, said during the press conference. Tapia was unlawfully arrested in November, an action that some perceived as retaliation from Corpus for his outspoken criticism of her. 

The Board of Supervisors currently does not have the authority to remove the sheriff or any other elected officia.l

After Corpus refused to step down, the county moved forward with holding a special election set for March 4 in which voters will decide on Measure A, a charter amendment that would grant the board temporary power to remove the sheriff for certain reasons.

"The amendment would allow the Board of Supervisors to remove the sheriff for cause," said Eliot Storch, secretary of the deputies' union, also known as DSA. "The amendment sunsets in 2028. The DSA believes that the Board of Supervisors has more than enough cause to remove Sheriff Corpus."

Those causes include "violation of law related to a sheriff's duties, flagrant or repeated neglect of duties, misappropriation of public funds, willful falsification of documents, or obstructing an investigation," according to the ballot measure.

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus. 

Corpus referred to the ballot measure as "an orchestrated and politically motivated attack," she wrote in a statement on Thursday.

"The special Measure A election is not about public safety -- it is a blatant attempt by entrenched political forces within the Sheriff's Office to undo change and silence your voices. This is an attack on democracy, accountability, and the future of law enforcement in San Mateo County," Corpus wrote.

She also said she would sue, alleging discrimination. 

In an emailed statement to KTVU on Thursday evening, Corpus said, "The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and the unions are attempting to override the will of 86,000 voters by pressuring city councils to support their effort to bypass the proper recall process. The law requires a petition with signatures from 17% of the electorate to remove an elected official, yet the Board is exploiting the historically low turnout of special elections to push their own agenda. This isn’t about accountability—it’s a political maneuver to remove a duly elected official without giving the public a fair say. Voters deserve transparency, not backroom deals that undermine democracy."

Some residents have already received their ballots and voted.

"I voted this morning and brought my sticker with me," said San Mateo City Councilmember Lisa Diaz Nash during Wednesday's press conference. "I am urging everyone in our community, as soon as you get your ballot, to sign it, mail it back in and vote 'yes' on Measure A." 

The cities of San Carlos and Millbrae have already issued a vote of 'no confidence' in Corpus. The San Mateo City Council vote of no confidence came at a special meeting Thursday that went late into the evening. 

The Redwood City Council is also planning to potentially endorse the measure at their next meeting on Monday.