Supervisors still on path to remove San Mateo County Sheriff
Supervisors still on path to remove San Mateo County Sheriff
San Mateo County supervisors met on Monday to talk about the next steps to potentially remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office, who is still on the job despite a vote giving the board the power to fire her.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - San Mateo County supervisors met on Monday to talk about the next steps to potentially remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office, who is still on the job despite a vote giving the board the power to fire her.
Supervisors will be setting the rules for what happens next, after voters approved Measure A, which changed the county charter to give the supervisors the power to remove the sheriff.
The supervisors are expected to establish a timeline for hearings before coming to a final vote. It would take a 4/5 majority to oust her.
"The sheriff has due process," Board of Supervisors president David Canepa said.
"We're going to work through a process, be open-minded, be transparent and make sure as we move forward, we deliberate thoughtfully."
In that time, Corpus will have a chance to publicly defend herself in front of the board.
She faces allegations of abuse of power, corruption and fostering a toxic workplace environment.
Corpus has denied any wrongdoing, and despite calls to resign, she refuses to step down, saying people are targeting her for being the first Latin female sheriff in the county.
Her attorney, Brad Gage, says at this point it is impossible for county leaders to be impartial and offer her a fair process.
"Measure A is designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to remove Christina Corpus, the first Latina sheriff," he said. "Once they accomplish that, Measure A is no longer going to be in effect. That's not fair. That's singling out one person."
If the supervisors vote to remove Corpus, they would have to decide whether to appoint a new one or hold a special election.
Canepa said it can be several months before the board gets to that point.
"The public thinks this removal can happen in a week or two weeks," he said. "That's not the case. This is going to be something that can take a period of time. What that time is, I don't know."
Corpus has not commented on Measure A since it passed in early March.