San Mateo County Sheriff Corpus defends herself in unprecedented removal hearing

By Lauren Toms

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    San Mateo County (KPIX) — San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus delivered emotional testimony Tuesday as she continued her defense in a hearing that could determine whether she remains in office.

The proceeding is being closely watched as an unprecedented attempt to unseat a sitting, elected sheriff in open court.

Speaking on the witness stand for a second day, Corpus reflected on her early years in the department, describing a workplace she said was rife with discrimination and harassment.

She recalled being one of just two women in her academy class, finding ants and sugar stuffed into her locker, and being called derogatory names by veteran deputies, some of whom, she noted, still serve in the Sheriff’s Office today.

Corpus said hostility resurfaced when she launched her campaign for sheriff. According to her testimony, department insiders tried to sabotage her run by tearing down campaign signs and threatening her supporters.

Legal analyst Steve Clark said the testimony marked a pivotal moment for the sheriff.

“Sheriff Corpus was clearly fighting for her career, and she was very well prepared,” Clark said.

While her attorneys cast Corpus as a reformer battling a hostile workplace culture, attorneys for the county sought to highlight allegations of misconduct. They questioned whether she had retaliated against employees, using her position to punish critics and reward allies.

Central to their case was her close relationship with aide Victor Aenlle. The county argued she pushed through pay raises and promotions for Aenlle despite his limited formal experience in law enforcement and the public sector. They suggested the relationship blurred professional lines and created a conflict of interest.

“It doesn’t really matter if it was romantic, but the fact that he was so close to you, giving you gifts,” Clark explained. “You’re having lunch all the time, and you’re promoting him. You’re moving him up the ladder when he doesn’t necessarily deserve it. That’s where the conflict of interest comes in.”

Attorneys presented the Sheriff’s Handbook and confronted Corpus with text messages, slurs, and questions about gifts, including diamond earrings. Corpus denied any wrongdoing, saying she was unaware of the meaning of the slur and insisted she used cash to purchase $8,000 diamond earrings for herself. The county suggested they were a gift from Aenlle.

“She had an answer for everything,” Clark said. “She was very well studied on this material. And so when there were these negative inferences trying to be drawn, she corrected the county council and said, ‘No, that’s not the way it happened.'”

The county also pointed to the arrest of Deputy Carlos Tapia, a union leader, suggesting it was retaliation after he criticized a costly overtime policy. Tapia was later cleared of fraud by the district attorney.

The county then highlighted actions taken against a former captain of the Half Moon Bay bureau who posted an unauthorized message announcing her departure. The message, Corpus said, was not cleared through the proper channels but did not mention Corpus by name. Corpus testified that she responded by locking the captain out of their email before they exited the department, citing concerns of erratic behavior.

Corpus defended her actions, saying she relied on her executive team and made legitimate management decisions. The county suggests the actions were retaliatory.

“She’s the elected sheriff, and she has the right to make these decisions,” Clark said. “Maybe there was an element of being unhappy with some of these people, but at the same time, is that grounds for removal?”

Corpus’s future within the department will ultimately be decided by the board of supervisors, who will receive a recommendation from a third-party judge overseeing the proceedings.

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