Redwood City – The County of San Mateo Board of Supervisors today voted 5-0 to send Sheriff Christina Corpus a Notice of Intent to Remove, which begins the process under the San Mateo County Charter to consider her removal.
The Board confirmed the removal procedures adopted pursuant to Section 412.5 of the San Mateo County Charter and directed staff to provide the sheriff the Notice of Intent to Remove, which includes the reasons for considering her removal and a date to appear at a pre-removal conference.
The Notice of Intent to Remove concludes that the sheriff engaged in multiple acts of misconduct that, if true, support removal from office based on causes set forth in Section 412.5(B)(1) of the San Mateo County Charter (violation of law related to the performance of the sheriff’s duties); 412.5(B)(2) of the Charter (flagrant and repeated neglect of the sheriff’s duties); and 412.5(B)(5) of the Charter (obstruction of an investigation into the conduct of the sheriff).
The Notice of Intent to Remove was developed by lawyers from the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters, LLP, who conducted an independent investigation of allegations of misconduct against the sheriff. The Notice of Intent to Remove is a 59-page document, supported by an additional 524 pages of evidence and 42 witness interviews, reflecting a detailed and thorough investigation into the sheriff’s actions.
The Proposed Notice of Intent to Remove was transmitted to each member of the Board of Supervisors and to Sheriff Corpus on Monday, June 2, 2025. The County informed the sheriff of its intent to make the Notice of Intent to Remove publicly available. The sheriff responded on June 3, 2025 objecting to releasing the Notice of Intent to Remove to the public. Therefore, the Notice of Intent to Remove has not been released to the public and the Board considered it in a closed session during Thursday’s meeting.
Under the Removal Procedures adopted by the Board, following this issuance of the Notice of Intent to Remove, a pre-removal conference will occur with the sheriff within five days, which will be presided over by the San Mateo County chief probation officer. During this removal conference, the sheriff will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations contained in the Notice of Intent to Remove.
Upon receipt of the recommendation from the chief probation officer after the pre-removal conference, the Board will make its decision to either sustain or reject the recommendation. A decision to proceed with removal of the sheriff requires at least a four-fifths vote by the board and is subject to appeal by the sheriff in the form an evidentiary hearing before a neutral hearing officer. If a removal hearing takes place, it would be open to the public unless the sheriff objects and requests a closed hearing.
The duration of proceedings, from initiation of the Notice of Intent to Remove to a final decision of the Board, depends on a number of factors that are not yet fully known, but the County’s outside counsel has indicated that the earliest the matter could conclude is within approximately four months.
Effie Milionis Verducci
Interim Director, Strategic Communications
everducci@smcgov.org