The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously superior a set of procedures that would result in the elimination of embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus, shifting the method ahead with some amendments.
The motion follows a 400-page unbiased investigation launched final 12 months, led by retired Choose LaDoris Cordell, which ignited the present scandal surrounding Corpus. The report alleges corruption, misconduct, and an inappropriate relationship together with her former chief of workers, Victor Aenlle. Corpus has denied the claims and resisted calls to resign.
Tuesday’s adoption of procedures follows a March particular election during which greater than 84% of voters licensed the board to take away the sheriff with a four-fifths vote. The draft procedures, developed with authorized counsel from Hanson Bridgett, define how that course of would unfold and goal to make sure due course of.
County Lawyer John Nibbelin mentioned these are the primary procedures the county has ever adopted for eradicating a sheriff, and sure the primary occasion within the state the place a board of supervisors was permitted to ascertain its personal elimination course of.
Amendments embody expressing a desire for a former decide to preside over the listening to and making minor changes to the invention course of based mostly on enter from Corpus’ authorized counsel.
“We’ve put in a lot of work into these removal procedures to make sure they are compliant and consistent with principles of due process,” mentioned Alfonso Estrada, an lawyer with Hanson Bridgett.
Elimination would require “cause,” as outlined within the county constitution — resembling duty-related legislation violations, repeated neglect, misuse of public funds, falsifying paperwork, or obstructing investigations.
If Corpus doesn’t seem, she forfeits the suitable to a listening to. After the convention, the listening to officer makes a suggestion, and the board once more votes — requiring one other four-fifths majority — to finalize the elimination.
There was some debate Tuesday over who ought to preside over the listening to.
Nibbelin advised utilizing an expert arbiter, presumably the county’s coroner or probation officer. However Supervisor Jackie Speier and Corpus’ attorneys expressed concern that such officers could lack familiarity with the Peace Officer Invoice of Rights, which outlines rights for public security officers, which they argued ought to govern the method.
The board finally directed workers to revise the procedures to state a desire for a retired decide as listening to officer.
On the listening to, each events could be allowed to current proof, name and cross-examine witnesses, and be represented by counsel. The county would current its case first and carry the burden of proof underneath a “preponderance of the evidence” normal. The listening to officer’s advisory opinion is nonbinding and should be issued inside 45 days. The board would then have 30 days to situation a ultimate resolution.
The elimination course of may take as much as 4 months.
Corpus attended Tuesday’s assembly, however her lawyer, Thomas Mazzucco, addressed the board on her behalf.
“We’re concerned about due process and bias,” Mazzucco mentioned. “How can you get a four-fifths vote when members of this board have openly said the sheriff should be removed? You can’t do it; that’s biased.”
Corpus’ authorized workforce final month contracted former Riverside County Superior Courtroom Choose Burke E. Strunsky for their very own unbiased report. That doc criticized the Cordell report for counting on unrecorded interviews and nameless witnesses whose “credibility cannot be assessed.”
Corpus additionally sued the county to acquire paperwork associated to the investigation, together with expense information.
The county has stood by the Cordell report and its resolution to make it public.
Neighborhood members and teams weighed in throughout public remark. Jim Lawrence of the watchdog group Fixin’ San Mateo urged the board to maneuver rapidly.
“When public safety is compromised and trust is eroded, there must be changes,” he mentioned. “We urge you to adopt a resolution initiating removal.”
Michael Kelly, a San Mateo enterprise proprietor and group activist, urged board members to query the motives of those that have introduced accusations in opposition to Corpus.
The Deputy Sheriffs’ Affiliation and the Group of Sheriff’s Sergeants — each of which raised the preliminary allegations — praised the board’s motion.
“Today’s vote marks another step in the long march toward accountability for Sheriff Corpus,” the teams mentioned in a joint assertion. “We look forward to turning the page on this sordid affair and devoting our full energy where it belongs: in service to our community.”
