By Bob Walsh
San Mateo County is located
right next to San Francisco County. In fact the San Francisco Airport
is actually in San Mateo County. Something smelly has recently exploded
within the upper ranks of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and
things are looking rough for the sheriff, Christina Corpus, who has been
in office for two years. She had previously been a Captain in charge
of the Millbrae substation.
Corpus
ran on a reform platform, calling it Team Revolution, asserting that
she would straighten out the scandal-plagued organization. Her
predecessor, Carlos Bolanos, was accused (factually it would seem) of
"prioritizing" gun permits for major donors to his campaign. He also
sent investigator to Indiana to raid a garage that manufactured
Batmobiles. Allegedly this had something to do with the Sheriff being
at a brothel in Vegas that the FBI hit. (Remember, prostitution is not
legal in that part of Nevada.) Unfortunately for her, she has had
issues of her own.
The
county Board of Supervisors has just passed a no-confidence vote in her
and requested that she step down. She has refused. They also
specifically cut out of the county budget a job she created for her
(alleged) boyfriend. She told the board to pound sand and gave the
boyfriend a new, more senior job. He is now #2 at the department. He
had previously been a consultant.
The
county hired retired Santa Clara County Judge LaDoris Cordell back in
July to look into more than a dozen specific complaints made by both
current and former S.O. employees. Something like 40 people were
interviewed by the judge. The 400 page report, just released, concluded
that, among other things, Corpus used racist and homophobic slurs to
deliberately insult employees and engaged in intimidation and
retaliation. She fired an assistant sheriff for cooperating with the
Cordell investigation.
Corpus
declined to cooperate with the investigation or be interviewed. Her
"close personal friend", Victor Aenlle, was interviewed over the phone
by Cordell. Just hours before the report was released her department
arrested Carlos Tapia, the president of the Deputy Sheriff's
Association, on suspicion of felony grand theft regarding time cards.
Sheriff's Captain Brian Phillip resigned rather than carry out that
arrest. The union is asserting that the arrest is whistleblower
retaliation. This move has riled up law enforcement unions statewide.
The union has recommended forwarding the Cordell report to the state
Attorney General and to POST for a expedited misconduct hearing.
In less than two years 106 sworn officers have left the S.O.
The
stink started arising in October of 2022, only about 3 months after her
election. She traveled on vacation to Hawaii with Aenlle, who was a
real estate agent who had been hired to run her campaign and her
transition team. County officials terminated his contract with the
county after the Hawaii trip, but Corpus hired him thru the S.O. at $92
per hour in January 2023 as a full-time contractor. His job was
"translating the sheriff's vision into concrete policies and
initiatives." Corpus then created a new full-time job, executive
director of administration, and hired him for the gig at $246,000 per
year. The job opening was never announced and Aenlle was the only
applicant.
David Wozniak,
the former union president, was bumped out of his Sergeant's spot,
allegedly without proper notice or procedure, very shortly after Corpus
took over. He has since retired and is suing the department and the
county, for discrimination and retaliation. Wozniak did NOT endorse
Corpus in the election. His lawsuit is pending.
Corpus
has been asked by the board of supervisors to sit for sworn testimony
in front of Cordell. She has declined to respond to that question.
My
guesstimate is that Corpus is toast. Unfortunately she might do a LOT
of damage to the S.O. on her way down the crapper.
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