San Mateo County supervisors may ask for sheriff's resignation after report details allegations

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Two San Mateo County supervisors released an independent report on Tuesday that calls for Sheriff Christina Corpus to resign over allegations of inappropriate behavior. 

Ahead of the report's release, Sheriff Corpus held a preemptive news conference regarding the arrest of the San Mateo Deputy Sheriff's Association President, Carlos Tapia. This is the latest development in an ongoing rift between the sheriff's department and county executives. 

Before the sheriff's news conference, San Mateo County Supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller had scheduled a 4 p.m. news conference to announce the findings of the report into allegations filed against the Sheriff's Office. 

A⁠⁠t her news conference, Corpus addressed Tapia's arrest on suspicion of felony grand theft by false pretenses. He reportedly falsified time cards. The Sheriff's Office didn't comment further, citing the pending investigation. 

Tapia was released on bond and has been placed on administrative leave, the Sheriff's Office said. His case will be forwarded to the county District Attorney's Office for review.  

On Tuesday, the union along with the San Mateo County Organization of Sheriff's Sergeants condemned Tapia's arrest, saying it has "all the earmarks of whistleblower retaliation" in the wake of a report also released Tuesday by the county Board of Supervisors compiled by retired judge, LaDoris Cordell, that investigated complaints by the union against civilian chief of staff Victor Aenlle.  

Tapia has been a vocal critic of the Sheriff's Office and its administration.  

"This is not a coincidence," said the deputies' union, which alleged that Corpus "abused her power and the public trust" by allegedly violating a conflict of interest policy that dictates that the District Attorney's Office should handle accusations of criminal misconduct by Sheriff's Office employees. Instead, the union said, she arrested the deputy herself.  

The supervisors would later say at their news conference that Tapia was arrested without a warrant. 

"The San Mateo DSA condemns acts of retaliation against any San Mateo employee for speaking out against the misconduct of elected officials, and will vigorously defend President Tapia against these allegations." 
  
At her first news conference, Sheriff Corpus touched on the sheriff's department upholding the same standard they demand of others. 

"I will not turn a blind eye when credible evidence supports that a crime has been committed, whether it be a member of the public or a trusted member of our office," Corpus said. "There has been speculation and concern regarding potential conflicts of interest involving internal and external figures who have been vocal about this inquiry." 

Corpus goes on to say that County Executive Mike Callagy and Sup. Mueller are known to be friends with Tapia. Corpus called Callagy and Mueller out by name and urged them to remain on the right side of the law. 

In September, Corpus sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors accusing Callagy of retaliation, abuse of power, sexual discrimination and bullying. Just days before that letter was sent, members of the board questioned Corpus' firing of Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan, saying that it may have been out of retaliation for participating in an outside investigation of the Sheriff's Office. 

"There have been reports of meetings behind closed doors. These allegations, whether factual or fabricated, have raised questions about attempts to undermine my office's investigation and leadership," said Corpus. "I want to be clear, any attempts to derail justice through backdoor dealings, unsubstantiated claims or personal agendas will not succeed." 

She said she would enforce the law with fairness and impartiality. 

Shortly after Corpus initially spoke, the supervisors held their news conference. Supervisors Corzo and Mueller released the retired judge's 400-page report on the leadership and conduct of the sheriff's office, calling it "concerning" and that it "warrants immediate action." 

The investigation stemmed from a volume of complaints, the supervisors said. They said the report centered around allegations of abuse of power, intimidation, retaliation and conflicts of interest and that Aenlle, who Corpus appointed, was central to these complaints. 

The supervisors said, according to the report, Aenlle abused his authority repeatedly, with the knowledge and approval of Sheriff Corpus and that the sheriff elected not to speak with the judge about this inquiry, although she was given the opportunity.  

The supervisors said 12 of the 15 allegations against the Sheriff's Office leadership were sustained by the judge. They also allege the sheriff's personal relationship with Aenlle violates the county's nepotism policy. 

The report found that Corpus had an intimate relationship with Aenlle, who was promoted to work in her office despite having a background in real estate and not law enforcement. Cordell also found that Corpus repeatedly recommended pay raises for him and had him working directly underneath her, in violation of the Sheriff's Office's conflict of interest policies.  

Corpus has denied that relationship, though the supervisors say the report alleges that the relationship has existed since 2021. 

The report found the sheriff also used racial and homophobic slurs in the workplace. During their news conference, the supervisors displayed the language allegedly used by the sheriff over text messages, or that were uttered, on a projector. 

According to the report, in January or February 2022, then Capt. Corpus walked into the employee's office as a Zoom meeting was happening. An unidentified civilian employee's screen was muted as she watched the meeting. Corpus uttered the N-word at then Sheriff Carlos Bolanos twice near the civilian employee's ear. The report says Corpus knows the civilian employee's adult son is biracial and identifies as African American. He also volunteered for Corpus' campaign for sheriff. The civilian employee was stunned and upset, but remained silent out of fear of retaliation, the report said. 

During summer 2022, the report found Corpus sent the civilian employee text messages that criticized a local city council member by calling her "fuzz bumper," a homophobic slur directed at lesbians. 

The supervisors said the retired judge concluded that the fear of retaliation is "rampant in the organization" and that "the Corpus-Aenlle administration is obsessed with loyalty that borders on paranoia." 

Sup. Corzo said Cordell's report finds that Sheriff Corpus should step down and that Aenlle's employment with the sheriff's office be terminated immediately. 

Cordell's report also found Aenlle does not meet duty requirements, has engaged in outside employment that has not been approved, and improperly possesses rifles. He showed a conflict of interest when he brokered a lease for a substation daycare center for officers' children with a real estate company that he is an associate broker for. 

The report also concludes Aenlle improperly wears a badge he's not authorized to wear and that both he and Corpus have improperly distributed honorary badges and identification cards to civilians. 

The board meets at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Mueller said they may consider censuring the sheriff or call for her resignation. In addition, they may call for removing Aenlle from his role and refer the report to the civil grand jury and district attorney's office.

The board does not have the authority to remove the sheriff, which is an elected position, but may ask for a charter amendment in an election to ask voters for the authority to do so, Mueller said. 

Sheriff Corpus held another news conference after the supervisors disclosed details of the retired judge's findings. She said she would not resign, denied the allegations against her and claimed she was up against a "good old boys' system in this county that is corrupt." 

"I am a woman of color that has gone up the ranks in a male-dominated field. This is nothing new to me," Corpus fired back at her second news conference. She called Cordell's report biased and said it was commissioned by the county and the county attorney who is supposed to represent her. "I have no legal representation now." 

Corpus said there is a vendetta against her by people who don't want to see her in office. 

"Other members of the organization reached out to Judge Cordell and they were turned away," Corpus said. "Imagine if we turned people away that wanted to file a report. It's not OK."

On Tuesday, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said in an email that his office won't comment on the report until it has had a chance to fully review it, but that "there are several matters raised in the report that call for our examination and we will do so."  

You can find Cordell's report as part of the Board agenda packet for the Nov. 13 meeting, here. 

Bay City News contributed to this report.