REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, facing serious allegations of misconduct, entered the San Mateo County Superior Court on Friday, using a private entrance at the Government Center. Her appearance coincided with a civil grand jury meeting tasked with determining whether to recommend her removal from office. If the grand jury issues an accusation, the case could escalate to a jury trial.
Details regarding Corpus’s presentation before the grand jury remain unclear, as proceedings are conducted in secrecy. Observers noted that she was not at her office on Bradford Street prior to attending the court.
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is actively pursuing her dismissal. On Tuesday, they will evaluate recommendations from a hearing officer who reviewed evidence submitted by county attorneys alongside Corpus’s defense. John Keene, the Chief of the Probation Office and the appointed hearing officer, met with Corpus and her legal team on June 11 to discuss their formal response.
The upcoming board meeting agenda indicates that Keene will recommend grounds for Corpus’s removal from her position. The supervisors will then cast a vote, requiring a minimum of four out of five members to agree to end her tenure. If any two supervisors dissent, she would retain her role as sheriff.
If the board decides to move forward with the dismissal, Corpus has the right to appeal the ruling. She can request a hearing led by an alternate hearing officer, with the option to choose from three candidates presented by the board. During the hearing, she can determine whether the session will be open to the public and the media. Corpus has stated her desire for a platform to present her side of the story.
Key documents related to the case, including the county’s “Notice of Intent to Remove,” remain confidential. This notice outlines the rationale behind the board’s actions and is supported by an extensive investigation conducted by Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, which includes 524 pages of evidence and 42 witness interviews. The county claims that the findings suggest multiple instances of misconduct that could justify her removal.
Retired Judge LaDoris Cordell was commissioned by the supervisors to investigate the allegations against Corpus. In her report, Cordell cited serious claims involving nepotism, retaliation, intimidation, false arrests, and the use of racial and homophobic slurs. Notably, on the same day the report was released, Corpus ordered the arrest of the deputies union president, a decision that has since drawn scrutiny, as the District Attorney dismissed the charges.
The situation surrounding Sheriff Corpus continues to develop as the Board of Supervisors prepares for their critical vote and the implications of the grand jury’s proceedings become clearer.
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