REDWOOD CITY, CA — The Redwood City Council last week voted to support a groundbreaking measure that would address a critical flaw in California’s law enforcement oversight system—the inability to forcibly remove elected sheriffs accused of serious misconduct, according to the Redwood City Pulse.
The 6-0-1 vote supported Measure A, highlighting how certain laws in place may leave communities with no recourse against misconduct by their highest-ranking law enforcement officials. In regard to the sheriff’s office, Mayor Martinez Saballos admitted “…we are absolutely dependent on them,” the Redwood City Pulse added.
According to the report, this unprecedented call for accountability came after the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance on Dec. 3, calling for a special election in March of this year. This measure would finally give the board authority to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus, dismantling the immunity that elected sheriffs are often privileged by, the Redwood City Pulse wrote.
“This unprecedented crisis that has enveloped the sheriff’s office due to Sheriff Corpus’s leadership jeopardizes our community’s safety and it corrodes the community’s trust in law enforcement,” Mayor Saballos stated, highlighting how lack of oversight mechanisms directly threatens public safety, the Pulse reported.
The dangers of this accountability dead-zone were laid bare in a 408-page investigation made by retired Judge LaDoris H. Cordell, said the Redwood City Pulse, noting the report revealed how the current system allowed for unchecked “abuses of power, retaliation and fostering a culture of intimidation… The report also outlines an affair between Corpus and her former Chief of Staff Victor Aenlle, and his alleged improper access to weapons, unapproved outside employment and threats against employees.”
Sergeant Sean Harper of the sheriff’s office testified the arrest of Deputy Sheriff’s Association President Carlos was “highly questionable,” stating, said the Redwood City Pulse, “Anyone can see that this was Corpus’ attempt to silence an outspoken critic.”
The Redwood City Pulse reported Desiree Green, a representative from the San Mateo Labor Council, emphasized the dangers of the current system, claiming, “And let’s be clear, this is not just mismanagement, it’s dangerous, it’s unlawful, and it’s unsustainable.”
Sheriff Corpus, the Pulse wrote, defended the status quo in a written statement, as quoted in the original report, stating, “While collaboration between city and county leadership is essential to our shared success, it is both inappropriate and counterproductive for city officials to engage in politically motivated attacks on county matters—particularly against the highest elected law enforcement official in the county.”
Councilmember Isabella Chu acknowledged, according to the Redwood City Pulse, the tension between democratic elections and accountability, but noted that after “hearing the evidence and seeing who talked were not just people from the sheriff’s department, but people who had robustly supported her [Corpus’] election, who had wanted her to win, who had believed in her, I think it’s become very clear that there has been an incredible amount of misconduct.”
