As the measurement seems to have sold a overwhelming majority, the sheriff of the county of San Mateo says that it will not resign. Now what?

After a special election on Tuesday, San Mateo county officials were convinced that voters had granted them the power to withdraw the Sheriff Christina Corpus from his functions, in the midst of numerous allegations of misconduct and corruption.

The supervisors Ray Mueller and Noelia Corzo addressed to the public after the first results showed strong support for measurement A, which would modify the charter of the county of San Mateo to allow the board of directors until the end of 2028 to withdraw the corpus with a vote of four fifths.

“Voters have adopted measurement A by overwhelming majority. We would like to thank all those who participated in the democratic process, whatever they voted, “said Mueller, who, with Corzo, previously led Corpus calls to resign. “(The voters have sent) a clear message that they continue to make educated decisions and trust the supervisors’ council to respect responsibility and justice.”

This marked the first public declaration of the board of directors concerning Corpus since the approval of the special elections last December.

Tuesday at 11 p.m., more than 85% – at least 78,319 voters – had voted “yes” on measurement A. The final evening report showed that 92,003 counted voting bulletins, representing approximately 20% of the county registered voters, according to the San Mateo County Bureau. Post voting bulletins and voting ballots received after Monday.

While the supervisors were convinced that the example of the measure would hold, they must wait until the votes are certified – by April 3 – before officially approving the results of the elections and to modify the charter.

The amendment would take effect 10 days after approval.

“Shortly after, the county staff are asking for the management of the supervisor council during a public meeting concerning the procedures for carrying out a referral hearing,” said Corzo. “Before any hearing, the sheriff will be served with a written declaration of the reasons for dismissal.”

In a statement to the Bay Region Information Group, Corpus has recognized the apparent passage of measure A through its lawyer Thomas Mazzucco.

“It seems that the measure has passed,” said Corpus. “Unfortunately, the vote took place during an out -of -cycle election where barely 20% of registered voters participated.”

She said that she would seek a “collaboration strategy” in the future.

“With the passage of measure A, I now have the possibility of contesting and refuting the allegations against me and my administration appropriately,” said Corpus. “I am now entitled to a public proof hearing before a neutral and impartial organization. My legal team and I are looking forward to this opportunity and are convinced that I will be justified by a legitimate process. »»

When asked what she heard by “neutral and impartial body”, Corpus did not specify if it referred to a forum other than the council of supervisors of the county of San Mateo, which plans to hold a referral hearing in April.

Despite the recognition of the strong support of the measure, Corpus reiterated that it would not resign.

“As for me, I will not resign and continue to do my sheriff work to ensure the safety of residents of the County of San Mateo,” she said. “My file in the public service was a virgin, not only in the application of the law, but also with regard to respect. I undertake to honor the residents of the County of San Mateo and I will continue to work to make this county one of the safest in California. »»

Corpus was faced with months of controversy, including accusations of corruption, misconduct, reprisals and an inappropriate relationship with his former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle. She rejected an investigation into her conduct as biased and politically motivated.

In addition to the accusations concerning his conduct in the workplace, state regulators investigate the allegations that Corpus has accepted campaign donations exceeding legal limits. Meanwhile, Bay Area News Group confirmed that the FBI examined its leadership.

Following the controversies, the San Mateo County Supervisors Council, seven cities in the county, two sheriff unions and the leaders of the Congress of States and Federals all called for Corpus to resign.

If the supervisors vote to remove the corpus, the Dan Perea subsalif would temporarily assume the role. However, according to the County Prosecutor’s Office of San Mateo, he can only serve as an interim sheriff until the board of directors appoints a replacement or calls for an election.

Whether the next sheriff is named or elected remains uncertain, because the supervisors did not respond Wednesday during their public declaration.

Last week, a judge rejected the attempted corpus to stop the special elections. However, it can always contest the decision of the council during and after the withdrawal hearings.

Meanwhile, Tuesday evening, Eliot Storch, spokesperson for the Deputy Association of Sheriffs of the County of San Mateo – one of the two unions which brought allegations against Corpus last year, which prompted a retirement judge Ladoris Cordell – praised the election results.

“We are extremely excited,” said Storch. “Although the results are not yet official, what we have seen so far is incredible and really shows that we have the support of the community.”

Originally published: March 5, 2025 at 4:41 pm PST