Voters in San Mateo County, California, will decide on a charter amendment to allow the County Board of Supervisors to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office for cause through a four-fifths (4 of 5) vote. The charter amendment would expire on December 31, 2028. Voters will decide on the charter amendment at a special election on March 4, 2025.
The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0, with one member absent, to refer the charter amendment to the ballot. Supervisors, in an official statement, said the “ballot measure is the fastest way to give voters a voice” regarding Sheriff Christina Corpus. The board cited an investigative report from retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, which said, “Lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest, and abuses of authority are the hallmarks of the Corpus administration.” The Board of Supervisors also voted to demand Sheriff Corpus to resign.
Sheriff Corpus said the board pursued “amendments that erode democratic accountability.” She added, “Resigning from my position or relinquishing the independence of this Office is not the answer. Such actions would set a dangerous precedent, jeopardizing the progress we’ve made and the meaningful change our voters entrusted me to deliver.”
In San Mateo County, voters elect the sheriff to a six-year term. The last election was on June 7, 2022, when Christina Corpus defeated incumbent Carlos Bolanos. Corpus received 56.9% of the vote. The next election is scheduled for 2028.
In California, the state constitution requires sheriffs to be elected, a requirement that was approved via Proposition 6 in 1978. The vote was 3,276,230 (60.8%) to 2,109,533 (39.2%). Before Proposition 6, state law required sheriffs to be elected in non-chartered counties, but charter counties could decide whether to have a sheriff and whether the position was elected or appointed. State Sen. Robert Presley (D) and Asm. William Craven (R), who supported the amendment, said, “In order to effectively carry out the myriad of duties and responsibilities imposed on them, and most certainly in the case cited, the sheriffs require a degree of independence free from undue political influence. This has been the case for one hundred and twenty-eight years and has been accomplished by making the sheriff directly accountable to the people.” State Sen. Omer Rains (D), Asm. Howard Berman (D), and Asm. Bill McVittie (D), who opposed the amendment, stated, “This proposed amendment to our constitution represents but one more example of the state attempting to intrude on the rights of local government and is, indeed, a violation of the basic concept of home-rule. Throughout our state history, charter counties have had the option of electing or appointing certain local officials, including sheriffs.”
San Mateo County is not the first where voters will decide on a charter amendment authorizing the board of supervisors to remove sheriffs. In 2022, voters in Los Angeles County approved Measure A, which allowed the board of supervisors to remove the elected sheriff from office for cause through a four-fifths vote.
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