Hearing officer recommends removing San Mateo County sheriff

A San Mateo County official has recommended that the Board of Supervisors remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office over assertions of corruption and misconduct following a special voting process that granted supervisors the ability to do so Prior to a special meeting Tuesday the board responded to Chief Probation Officer John Keene s recommendation on Friday Related Articles San Mateo court rejects Sheriff Corpus effort to halt removal process San Mateo County board votes to begin process to remove Sheriff Corpus San Mateo County board to consider launching removal process for Sheriff Corpus Investigator clears San Mateo County executive of misconduct in sheriff s complaint San Mateo County to require quarterly reports on big-ticket purchases Chief Keene has issued a written recommendation to the Board that the Board approve and adopt the NOI notice of intent and move forward with the proposed removal action the resolution stated The board reviewed the notice in closed session because Corpus previously objected to the release of the notice s contents it added Keene was selected to preside over a closed-door pre-removal conference held earlier this month Corpus legal organization had requested a presider with experience in the Peace Officers Bill of Rights a law protecting police and other agents If the board votes to remove her Corpus can still appeal which would trigger a formal removal hearing before another hearing officer That hearing either residents or private would conclusion in another recommendation to the board which would again need a four-fifths vote to finalize her removal The effort to unseat Corpus stems from a -page document circulated by the county last year outlining assertions of corruption workplace misconduct and an inappropriate relationship with her former chief of staff Victor Aenlle Corpus has denied the accusations and refused to step down so far While the contents of the Notice of Intent to Remove has not been made masses at Corpus request county functionaries announced it is based on an independent examination by the law firm Keker Van Nest Peters LLP According to the county the findings include pages of documentation and witness interviews and accuse the sheriff of violating state and local laws neglecting her duties and obstructing an study Elected in as the county s first female and first Latina sheriff Corpus has been locked in an escalating standoff with county leadership Both sides have filed lawsuits and legal proposes Corpus previously sued the county for access to records related to the initial scrutiny conducted by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell and later commissioned a separate review led by retired Judge Burke E Strunsky who criticized the Cordell statement s reliance on anonymous sources and unrecorded interviews The sheriff s attorneys have described the process as flawed and pledged to challenge it in court A San Mateo County judge earlier this month denied a motion to halt the proceedings calling it premature to issue a ruling Thomas Mazzucco Corpus lead counsel has also challenged the impartiality of the process arguing that Supervisors Ray Mueller and Noelia Corzo who have publicly called for Corpus resignation should have recused themselves Without their participation the board would not have the four-fifths majority required for removal Mazzucco further contends the new county charter amendment approved by voters in March to grant supervisors the authority to remove an elected sheriff through did not take effect until April and should not be applied retroactively to conduct from the prior year The county has not responded to these arguments This scenario marks the first test of the board s new removal powers approved by of voters in a special electoral contest that cost the county more than million Functionaries estimate the full process could take up to four months