The removal hearing for San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus on Friday again sank into the minutiae of payroll codes, overtime logs and timekeeping spreadsheets — details both sides insist remain important, even though the county District Attorney previously found the timecard issues to be clerical errors, not fraud.
The backdrop for the case against Corpus is the Cordell report, released in November 2024 by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell. The county-commissioned 400-page investigative review of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office detailed allegations of retaliation, workplace misconduct, bullying, and claims that Corpus sought to secure a high salary for her former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle, despite questions about his qualifications.
County attorneys have cited the report as evidence that Corpus abused her authority and retaliated against critics.
The report prompted the Board of Supervisors to call a special election in March, known as Measure A, which was passed by voters and approved the current removal process. Under that process, the board can remove the sheriff by a four-fifths vote through 2028, the end of Corpus’ term.
At the center of the timecard squabble is the November 2024 arrest of Deputy Sheriff’s Association President Carlos Tapia. County attorneys argue it was a retaliatory move against a vocal critic, while Corpus’ lawyers maintain it was a legitimate probe into alleged payroll fraud.
The stakes are high.
Corpus, elected in 2022 as the county’s first Latina sheriff, is fighting to stay in office after two sheriff’s unions accused her of corruption, workplace misconduct, retaliation, and an inappropriate relationship with Aenlle. Allegations include claims Corpus tried to secure Aenlle a salary between $192,000 and $246,000 despite what the county contends were insufficient qualifications.
In June, the Board of Supervisors voted to remove Corpus under Measure A. Corpus appealed, triggering the ongoing two-week public hearing in San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City. Retired Judge James Emerson is presiding over the hearing, and after testimony concludes, he will have 45 days to issue a recommendation.
The board then has 30 days to vote, with a four-fifths majority required to remove the sheriff. If ousted, Corpus would be the first elected sheriff in California removed under this process.
Even after nearly a full day Thursday scrutinizing Tapia’s timecards and payroll codes, both sides returned Friday to the nitty-gritty.
Former Assistant Sheriff Matthew Fox testified that he was tasked by Corpus to review Tapia’s attendance, testified that he noticed discrepancies in how the union leader recorded “release time” — hours spent on union duties that still count as work. Fox said Corpus wanted to ensure Tapia wasn’t improperly billing the county.
In opening statements, the sheriff’s lawyers noted that excessive overtime had cost the county — and, by extension, taxpayers — millions of dollars. Fox resigned weeks later, saying he “did not want to be implicated in anything criminal,” citing the broader Cordell investigation.
Fox, often emotional during his testimony, described a “gang mentality” within the department opposed to Corpus’ leadership and said he resisted pressure to sign off on Tapia’s arrest, believing the matter had been unnecessarily escalated.
Before lawyers delved into the timecard issues earlier this week, they called several individuals involved in the Cordell report to testify, alleging they witnessed inappropriate interactions between Corpus and Aenlle. Corpus, however, continues to deny any improper relationship with her former chief of staff.
Captain Brian Philip testified Friday that he had been tasked with carrying out Tapia’s arrest but resigned instead, calling it illegal. Other officers, including Sergeant Daniel Chiu, also testified, reviewing overtime and payroll processes, and that Tapia never submitted incorrect timecards when he was his supervisor.
County attorneys presented documents that Tapia was under investigation for allegedly claiming $25,000 to $50,000 in fraudulent overtime from January to October 2024.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe declined to file charges then, effectively clearing Tapia of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, the arrest remains central to the county’s argument that Corpus abused her authority to punish critics.
Corpus’ defense counters that Tapia’s coding of overtime and double-time was intentional, not clerical, and that the arrest stemmed from her effort to rein in costly overtime practices, including limiting deputies to no more than 9 hours of double overtime per week — a policy she says saved the county millions and sparked backlash against her.
The courtroom was only about half full Friday. No cameras or video recording are allowed during the hearing, and a few spectators laughing and giggling had to be admonished by bailiffs.
Corpus has denied wrongdoing, framing the case as a union backlash against her reform efforts in a department long dominated by sexism and resistant to change.
Her defense team includes attorneys from Murphy, Pearson & Bradley and Tom Perez, a former U.S. labor secretary under President Barack Obama and senior White House adviser to President Joe Biden. The county is represented by Keker, Van Nest & Peters, whose attorneys spent the first week portraying Corpus as a retaliatory leader who blurred professional and personal boundaries.
The hearing continues next week, when Corpus’ legal team is expected to begin presenting her defense.
Originally Published: