Soap Opera at the Sheriff's Office

Some soap operas air weekly, but the one down at the Sheriff's office is running daily at this point and is it ever well-written--if you like soap operas.  Personally, I don't.  Especially when it involves the operation of the largest and perhaps most critical department in the County.  I have had reservations about Sheriff Corpus' management skills from the get-go--two and a half years ago as noted here.  The Daily Post has led the way tracking Corpus' leadership as noted here and in the subsequent comments.  The Daily Journal has focused in on the "chaos" lately here and here as has the SF Chronicle on the front page here.

As various reporters dig into the 400-page investigative report by the retired judge the Supes hired, more details are revealed that caused the Supes to unanimously ask for Corpus' resignation and to abolish her chief of staff's position; right before she showed up at the meeting and promoted him to Assistant Sheriff live during public comment.  As Mark Simon noted in his DJ column opener in the print edition: "It appears that getting rid of a sheriff is going to be a lot more difficult than electing one."  The on-line version relies on poet Dylan Thomas' verse.  There is plenty of nitty-gritty in the column for a civics lesson on the legal wranglings ahead.

One thing that hasn't been noted in the reporting is Corpus' compensation.  Per transparentcalifornia.com, her total pay is $466K per year plus benefits that take total comp to $701K per year.  That is a 42% bump from getting elected sheriff (verses her captain's comp running the Millbrae force that the sheriff's office contracts).  The step up in responsibility and visibility was much higher--as she is now finding out.  With one senior person who was vocal about some of the problems under arrest and two, or is it three, recent resignations, one could question how the ship is being steered at the moment.  It all goes to a key point that a very smart B'game city councilor made years ago when we were considering merging BPD with the San Mateo PD to save money.  She was vehemently opposed to giving up local control and managed to convince the other councilors---a big win for B'game.  It also avoids this mess.

 

Comments

[JP]

Accounts of foot rubbing, a peck on the lips in Corpus’ office, intimately feeding one another and text messages of endearment between the two show an ongoing cozy relationship.

In one instance, Aenlle and Corpus went to the firing range at Coyote Point for a private session to qualify the sheriff, who was documented wearing a knee-length dress and high heels. Aenlle ordered the only other employee on-site to leave, so the pair remained alone at the range. No one was there to observe the qualification.

[Phinancier]

Aside from the hanky-panky bits, the real estate shenanigans will likely get them both. I'm not sure if it rises to criminal but it is certainly unethical.

[Joe]

The soap opera continues, from the Merc:

San Mateo supervisors approve election measure to remove sheriff from office

The ordinance calls for a March special election to amend the charter, allowing supervisors to remove a sheriff for misconduct or corruption

If approved by voters, according to the ordinance, the measure would “grant the board authority to remove an elected Sheriff from office, for cause, with a four-fifths vote, after written notice and an opportunity to be heard.” The measure will appear on the ballot during a special election on March 4 next year.
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That sounds expensive. Let's see if the pressure causes her to resign so the supes can just put this on the next regular election ballot........

[Joe]

The drip, drip, drip continues down in Redwood City. The surprising thing about this report in the Merc is that the "complaint was lodged during the election". What has the FPPC been doing for 2 1/2 years?

Embattled San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus is under investigation for potential campaign finance violations during her successful 2022 bid to become the county’s first Latina sheriff.....The complaint appears to have been filed by John Boessenecker, a local trust and estate attorney.

Election filings appear to show the campaign reported that at least two donors exceeded the county’s $1,000 individual contribution limit by significant margins — both by a thousand dollars or more.

State elections regulators are looking into a complaint lodged during the election that alleges the Corpus campaign reported accepting donations that exceeded local contribution limits and failed to disclose its spending on social media ads and campaign banners, among other reporting infractions.

McCuan, the political science professor, said that while it’s uncertain what impact the campaign finance investigation may have on the special election, the FPPC has likely taken a keen interest in the case.

He added he wouldn’t be shocked if other agencies and officials haven’t also turned their focus to their broader scandal.
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I've never heard of the complainant, but the Merc article has more here:

https://bayareane.ws/3DsrkU5

[Joe]

Wow. Just wow.

Sheriff Christina Corpus has initiated a process to sue San Mateo County, seeking $10 million over claims of discrimination, harassment and defamation in relation to the investigation into and subsequent public address of concerns raised about the Sheriff’s Office.

Corpus’ lawyer — who she hired independently — said the entire ordeal is a conspired campaign against the sheriff.

“This is a case about a County discriminating against, harassing and defaming a dedicated public servant because the defendants do not want either a woman or a Latin X person as the head of their Sheriff’s Department,” the claim reads.
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That last bit is the best since Corpus defeated a long-tenured Latino sheriff to win the job! By the way a high percentage of Latinos thing Latin X is a corruption of the Spanish language and not acceptable!!!
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The claim filed against the county particularly calls out Supervisor Noelia Corzo — but misspells her name — for participating in an “evil scheme” that has defamed Corpus. The claim also misspells Cordell’s name once and refers to Corpus’ first name as “Christy.”

[Joe]

The "missing 29 pages"are now out:

A press release from the county states 29 pages of the investigation by former Judge LaDoris Cordell that Corpus said were “key” were neither included in the exhibit released on its website because they were not cited by Cordell nor were they material to the report.

“There was nothing nefarious about these pages not having been included in the exhibit but, given the interest in them, as mentioned, they are now available on the County’s website,” the press release said.

[Joe]

I may have missed it elsewhere, but yesterday's Daily Post noted that the County supes have offered Corpus $1 million to walk away and she declined! Ballots get mailed in a week and a half.

Nice work if you can get it......

[Joe]

Drip, drip, drip. With ballots going out on Monday, Millbrae council has weighed in unanimously as the DJ notes:

The Millbrae City Council unanimously took a vote of no confidence in the embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus at its meeting Jan. 28, calling on her to resign.

Two of three San Mateo County cities that contract with the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement cities have now called on Corpus to resign. San Carlos originally joined a chorus of federal, state and countywide leadership expressing deep concern around the corruption in her office in November 2024. The Half Moon Bay City Council has not.

“Over time, this does take a toll on men and women who work here at our Millbrae substation and throughout the county,” Vice Mayor Reuben Holober said. “The culture of retaliation is very well documented, and something that should not be part of a work environment at any level.”
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The sheriff's response lands in court on Feb 26th--just a week before Election Day:

A hearing is set for Feb. 26 when Judge Nicole Healy will decide whether to stop the March 4 special election for voters to decide if the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors should have the ability to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office.

Healy gave each party briefing guidelines that focus particularly on the legal separation of powers.

Considering whether the election should be held is a “very narrow legal issue” that is only one prong of the complaint, which Healy said she might not have proper jurisdiction over. At the hearing, Healy will not take testimony into consideration because she “cannot inquire what made a legislator do what they did.”

[Joe]

Here's Mark Simon at the DJ doing some old-fashioned reporting--talking to people on both sides. Snipped from his column:

Over the past several days, interviews with staff throughout the Sheriff’s Office paint a picture of a sheriff who has been a virtual absentee.

Ordinarily, the sheriff meets twice a month with management staff — captains, lieutenants and top civilian staff. She has not held a management meeting since May of 2023, according to internal sources who agreed to talk about the office management with a guarantee of anonymity. There has not been a meeting with the command staff — captains and above — since Corpus fired Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan in September, sources said. The sheriff customarily attends meetings of the rank-and-file groups — the Organization of Sheriffs Sergeants and the Deputy Sheriffs Association. Corpus has not attended meetings with either group since July.

I spoke last week with Sheriff Corpus to ask her about the allegations that she had stopped holding key command meetings. She said it was “not accurate.” She said she would provide a list of meetings she has held over the last several months. I reached out to her again this week to inquire about the follow-up material she said she would provide. She did not respond.

About an hour after our initial interview, Corpus did issue an internal memo announcing she would hold a command staff meeting Feb. 5.
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That would be a good meeting to announce her resignation. But I doubt it. I wonder if the cool million parachute is still in play?

[Joe]

My ballot arrived in the mail today as scheduled. Mondays and Tuesdays generally have more junk mail than later in the week, so don't toss yours out by mistake.

[Joe]

Now we learn the Feds had also taken an interest. The Merc is reporting

Rumors had been swirling for months that the FBI was interested in the Sheriff’s Office. In September, County Executive Mike Callagy, at the FBI’s request, forwarded to the agency a copy of a lease for a Redwood City property rented by the Sheriff’s Office. The lease was attached to the email obtained by the Bay Area News Group through a public records request.

In an interview Tuesday, Callagy declined to discuss in detail the brief email or any other communication with the FBI. He said he had not been contacted again by a federal agent.

“I was asked for the documents, and I sent the documents,” he said.

The department began leasing the Redwood City property at 686-690 Broadway in September 2023 with the intention of opening a new substation with a childcare center for Sheriff’s Office staff. Those plans have yet to materialize, even as the county continues to be on the hook for at least $36,000 in monthly rental payments.

The report into Corpus, conducted by an independent auditor at the county’s request, claimed that Corpus’ former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle, her alleged boyfriend, had a conflict of interest in negotiating the lease because he was both a county employee and a licensed real estate agent with the company that brokered the deal.

However, the real estate company listed as the broker on the lease, CBRE, an abbreviation of Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis, is a separate entity from Coldwell Banker Real Estate, where Aenlle is listed as an agent.

On Tuesday, the report’s author, retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, acknowledged the error but made clear she stands by her findings.
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My question is how this shows up on the FBI's radar screen in the first place?

[Joe]

Drip, drip, drip

Belmont, Redwood City, and South San Francisco recently backed the measure. If approved by voters, it would grant the board temporary but unprecedented authority to remove an elected official.

[Jennifer Pfaff]

Why is the SM County Sheriff an elected position anyhow? Just wondering...

[Joe]

It's a good question. One guess is that the position is elected because it carries much more responsibility than a city police chief--principally because of operating the jail and juvenile facilities. The size of the operation is another factor (I believe it is the largest County department by a good margin).

The challenge, as we are now seeing, is the electorate doesn't have a good grasp of what large-scale professional management requires. Unlike a supervisor or council member that has peers and a public meeting structure to hear from staff, the public and peers, the sheriff is an executive, sole decisionmaker job. You have to listen, negotiate some, convince, and lead. Not just be one of five votes.

[Joe]

Ouch! Today's Daily Post has an above the fold headline that reads "Sheriff told to stay home". In a letter from the SF police union regarding a women on patrol event, they state

"Please do not come to our event. This celebration is not about you. Do the right thing for once, respect the contributions of these women, stay home on March 5, and work on your resume."

With resolve,
Tracy McCray
President

That is the day after the election so there will be clarity by the 5th.

[Joe]

According to the Merc about 62,000 of 440,000 ballots that were sent out have been returned so far. That's 14% for those watching at home.

[Joe]

According to the Daily Post the judge has tentatively tossed the sheriff's lawsuit claiming the election should only happen in a general election (which isn't until November 2026). It looks like game on.

In other election news, the County Registration and Elections division has too much money for postage as they are sending out reminders to people who voted weeks ago......

[Joe]

When you step into the lights you should be sure your nose is clean. From today's DJ:

Findings from a county-led farmworker housing task force resulted in a citation for unpermitted development on a coastside property issued to its owner Victor Aenlle, the former chief of staff of the Sheriff’s Office and central figure in an ongoing scandal.

A $100 citation was issued to Aenlle from the San Mateo County Planning and Building Department — after two notices were issued and multiple incomplete permit applications were submitted — requesting Aenlle to get in compliance for development on the property, including a barn and main house.

The letter states: “To rectify these violations and avoid additional fines you must submit all the materials identified in the Director’s letter of December 11, 2024, by March 11, 2025.”

The property of concern is owned by Aenlle as part of a trust, though it is operated by the Contreras family for their family farm business through an agricultural lease. The Contreras Farm has operated at the site for more than 40 years.

The agriculture lease means the Contreras family is responsible for the property’s maintenance, but Aenlle, as the property owner, is responsible for code compliance. Aenlle is listed as the sole recipient of the citation.

[Joe]

The county count is in--92,003 ballot counted which is a 20.7% turnout.

The other person getting turned out tonight is Christina Corpus. It's a blowout with 85% saying "bye-bye" to 15% who might be saying they don't like this unique process.

Perhaps Mark Church will be asked when the last time someone or some issue got 85% of the vote. As a local reference point for blowouts, in the last city council election we saw:

District 4
DONNA COLSON 1,951 78.48%
TONY PAUL 535 21.52%

And nobody ever heard of Mr. Paul.....

[Joe]

The counting is up to 107,797 ballots with a tiny amount left. The results are about the same--84% to 16%. That is 90,466 votes to remove the sheriff which is 7,844 more votes than she got when elected.

You really can't improve on the soap opera story line. Corpus now states she looks forward to being "vindicated" by a "neutral body" and hasn't had a chance to defend herself in public. Yet she refused to meet with the retired judge that authored the damning report and refused to be questioned under oath.