By Caelyn Pender, Ryan Macasero
Bay Area News Group
SAN MATEO, Calif. — A strong majority of San Mateo County voters favor removing Sheriff Christina Corpus, according to early returns from Tuesday’s special election.
As of 11 p.m., more than 85% — at least 79,319 voters — had voted “yes” on Measure A, which would grant the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors temporary authority to remove the sheriff. Meanwhile, 13,583 voters, or just over 14%, opposed the measure.
According to live results from the San Mateo County elections office, over 20% — 92,003 of the county’s 444,497 registered voters — have been tallied so far.
“While the results are not yet official, there are still votes to be counted, we are extremely heartened by the votes and the results that we see tonight that swift action was necessary to stem the turmoil that has engulfed the sheriff’s office,” Eliot Storch, Deputy Sheriff’s Association spokesperson, told reporters during a press conference in Redwood City Tuesday evening.
“Although Measure A might have been unusual, Sheriff Corpus’ unprecedented corruption and her contempt for the guardrails of accountability forced the community’s hand,” Storch added.
If passed, Measure A would give the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors the authority to remove a sheriff from office if four of the five supervisors agree to do so. The measure needs a simple majority to pass, and the removal power would end at the end of 2028.
Corpus has been embattled for months, facing accusations of corruption, misconduct, retaliation and an inappropriate relationship with her chief of staff. She has declined to step down despite calls from the Board of Supervisors and several cities across the county, as well as union members and congress people.
She has dismissed an investigation into her conduct as biased and politically motivated. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
At the San Mateo County Center in Redwood City on Tuesday morning, voters trickled in to drop off ballots or cast their votes. Some said that they voted “yes” on Measure A because they believe it is the fastest route to removing Corpus from office. Others said they voted “no” because they believed the county supervisors should not have the authority to remove an official elected by voters.
“It seems like a matter of urgency to deal with this really bad situation in the sheriff’s office,” said Penny Durham, 73, of San Mateo County.
Durham said she was largely swayed by the findings from the investigation into Corpus by former Judge LaDoris Cordell, a person she respects and doesn’t “think would be making things up.”
“It seems as though it was really a last resort,” Durham said, describing the special election as an “emergency measure.”
Francisco Salguero , 65, voted no. He said he is “disappointed we went this route” of giving supervisors the ability to “make that decision for the voters.”
“I think that if the sheriff had done something that was illegal, unlawful, that two things should have happened: She should either be recalled, or she should have been indicted,” he said. “We the voters voted her in.”
More than 440,000 ballots were mailed out to county residents, and 86,572 mail-in ballots and 535 vote center ballots had been received by the county as of Monday afternoon. Initial voting results were expected to be released late Tuesday night, and votes could continue to trickle in from mail-in ballots through March 11 . The county must certify the vote by April 3 .
Ray Fowler, 71, who has lived in Redwood City since 1986, also voted in favor of Measure A. He said he believes it will “pass overwhelmingly.”
“I feel there’s been a complete collapse of leadership under Sheriff Christina Corpus, and it needs to be changed,” Fowler said. “I accept and respect the point of view that a recall is preferred by some people, but what I don’t accept and respect are those that claim that an amendment is a power grab, unconstitutional, illegal. It’s just not true.”
Fowler said that some specific instances of Corpus’ alleged behavior, particularly arresting the head of the deputies union and her relationship with her chief of staff, helped him reach his decision.
Shishir Bhat, 26, voted yes, saying local politicians he trusts are in favor of her removal.
“The people I know in government, who I trust, are saying this is the correct route about it,” Bhat said.
The election is costing the county an estimated $3.8 million.
Durham said she supports the election despite the cost.
“Unfortunately, that’s just what it costs, but I can see so many other costs if we don’t take care of this,” Durham said. “Certain things you can’t put a dollar value on, such as morale and the safety of the whole county. The sheriff’s office is very important.”
Fowler added that it’s just “the cost of doing business.”
“I’m a taxpayer here in this county. I don’t like seeing that amount of money going, but let’s remember this is because of Sheriff Corpus . That’s the reason this is happening,” he said, adding that Corpus should have “cut a deal” with the county to walk away and save the county money. “She’s just being stubborn, digging her heels in, and that is, I think, a big part of the cost going forward.”
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