Listen to this note:
The Board of Supervisors of the San Mateo County unanimously asked voters for the power to remove the elected sheriff from office, in what they said was a drastic but necessary measure to protect public safety and taxpayer dollars.
If approved on a second reading on December 3, the proposed charter amendment will be placed on the March 4, 2025, ballot for approval by San Mateo County voters.
The charter amendment would authorize the Board of Supervisors to remove an elected sheriff for cause, meaning violation of any law relating to the performance of the sheriff's duties, flagrant or repeated neglect of the sheriff's duties, misappropriation of public funds, willful falsification of official statements or documents or obstruction of any investigation into the conduct of a sheriff, they said.
An extraordinary measure such as this could only be taken after a four-fifths vote of the Board of Supervisors and after giving the sheriff written notice and an opportunity to be heard publicly.
These safeguards mean that the Board could only apply the charter amendment to a sheriff who flagrantly violated the public trust and the oath of office.
They added that the proposed amendment has a sunset clause in 2028, the date on which the Board's authority to remove the sheriff will end.
The board said the caveat is intended to reassure voters that its unusual request is not a power grab, "but rather a limited and temporary response to the current sheriff, who according to an independent investigative report retaliated against employees, uttered racial and homophobic slurs and essentially handed control of the office to her chief civilian administrative officer, with whom she has an inappropriate relationship."
The Board currently lacks the authority to remove an elected sheriff, even in cases where the sheriff commits irregularities.
“The truth is, March is not soon enough. Let me be clear: public safety is at stake right now,” said Supervisor Noelia Corzo. “The trust of the voters comes with great responsibility and is not something any ethical elected official uses to benefit themselves personally. Our sheriff was elected by the people and the people will make the decision.”
For his part, Supervisor Ray Mueller, who presented the proposal to the Board along with Corzo, said that the Board must act quickly because "the case against the sheriff continues to strengthen."
As an example, he shared that the county received forensic confirmation that homophobic slurs attributed to the sheriff in the report were sent from her phone. Corzo also said that as recently as October, according to the report, the sheriff's executive director of administration pushed to acquire silenced rifles for the command.
The Board urged the public to read the 400-page report for themselves, explaining that while an election can come with a high price tag, the millions of dollars in expected lawsuits stemming from staff who claim they were harmed by the Sheriff's Office will far exceed the cost of the election.
The board said that while voters could also launch a recall effort to remove the sheriff, it would be a difficult task to gather the nearly 45,000 signatures to place the recall question on the ballot.
"Our duty as a Board of Supervisors is to offer solutions to the community," Corzo said.
The measure that would be presented to voters as a yes-or-no question:
Shall the measure amending the San Mateo County Charter to grant the Board of Supervisors authority until December 31, 2028, to remove an elected sheriff from office for cause including violation of law relating to the duties of a sheriff, flagrant and repeated neglect of duties, misappropriation of public funds, willful falsification of documents, or obstruction of an investigation, by a four-fifths vote of the Board of Supervisors, after written notice and an opportunity to be heard, be adopted?
The move comes amid growing support for Sheriff Christina Corpus among San Mateo County residents, and following a series of actions seeking her removal following an independent investigation, where she is accused of retaliation, conflict of interest, abuse of power, and use of racist and homophobic slurs.
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