Capping nearly a year of turmoil over allegations of corruption, retaliation and abuse of power, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday morning to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office effective immediately. Undersheriff Dan Perea is now serving as acting sheriff.
Corpus, elected in 2022 as the county’s first Latina sheriff, is now the first sheriff in California to be removed by a county board of supervisors. The removal was made possible by Measure A, a voter-approved charter amendment passed in March that allows supervisors to oust a sheriff for cause with a four-fifths vote through 2028, the end of Corpus’ elected term.
Sheriff Christina Corpus walks through the crowd to speak to The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors during a special session to consider final action towards removing her as Sheriff at the San Mateo County Center in Redwood City, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Related Articles
Supervisors to consider San Mateo County sheriff’s removal on Tuesday. What’s in the advisory opinion recommending they do it?
Appeals court declines San Mateo County’s bid to keep sheriff probe costs secret
Hearing officer finds cause to remove San Mateo County sheriff from office
County fights release of Sheriff Corpus probe records despite court order
Man accused of threatening to kill San Mateo Sheriff Christina Corpus
The vote followed months of investigations, a special election, and escalating tensions between Corpus and county officials. It came after retired Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Emerson released his 42-page advisory opinion last week, finding that Corpus violated conflict-of-interest laws and retaliated against deputies who challenged her authority.
“This has been a transparent process that has been fair to the sheriff,” Board President David Canepa said prior to Tuesday’s vote. “This is what the voters have asked us to do and the decision they have been waiting for.”
In his advisory opinion, Emerson sustained four charges on three issues while dismissing more than a dozen others, most tied to retaliation complaints from employees who opposed her leadership.
One charge involved Corpus’ relationship — whether romantic or not — with former chief of staff Victor Aenlle. Emerson said it constituted a conflict of interest because she reportedly created a position for him and sought a pay increase for which he was allegedly unqualified.
Victor Aenlle, the former chief of staff at the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office speaks to the media following his testimony at the Redwood City courthouse in Redwood City, Calif., on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
The other two charges involved personnel actions. Emerson found the reassignment of Capt. Brian Philip from the Professional Standards Bureau to corrections retaliatory. He also found that the arrest and reported retaliation against Deputy Sheriffs Association President Carlos Tapia lacked probable cause.
Corpus has disputed the findings, saying her decisions were lawful, her transfers were routine staffing rotations based on office policy, and not retaliatory. She denied any romantic relationship with Aenlle, defended hiring him as a trusted adviser, and said Tapia’s arrest was justified by a timecard-fraud complaint.
Beyond political costs, the prolonged removal process carried a growing financial toll. The March special election alone cost $4.4 million, according to county appropriations requests, while the Cordell report added at least $200,000. The county has not released other costs — including investigations, consultancies, and legal fees — citing attorney-client privilege.
In a statement at Tuesday’s meeting, Corpus denounced the proceedings as “unconstitutional, corrupt and fundamentally unfair,” saying the board “wrote the rules, conducted the investigation and will now act as judge, jury and executioner.” She warned that allowing the process to stand could expose other sheriffs to political retaliation.
Aside from the Measure A removal process, Corpus still faces a separate review by the civil grand jury. Perea will serve as acting sheriff until the board appoints or voters elect a replacement.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.