Voters overwhelmingly approve Measure A giving supes power to fire San Mateo Co. sheriff
Measure A: Voters overwhelmingly approve giving supes power to fire San Mateo Co. sheriff
Voter turnout was nearly 20%, according to the county chief elections officer & assessor-county clerk- recorder.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Preliminary results from Tuesday's vote are in, and the majority approved Measure A in San Mateo County, giving the board of supervisors the authority to fire Sheriff Christina Corpus.
More than 85% voted yes while 14% voted not to give the board this power in a special election where Measure A was the only ballot measure. Voter turnout was nearly 20%, according to the county chief elections officer and assessor-county clerk-recorder.
The San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association spoke out Tuesday night after initial results for Measure A were released just after 8 p.m.
"Given how focused this was on Sheriff Corpus and her actions, we believe that this was essentially an expedited recall. If anyone wanted to make their voice heard, they had every opportunity to vote," said Eliot Storch, secretary for the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
The embattled sheriff has been under fire for months, accused of creating a toxic work environment, using racial and homophobic slurs, as well as having an inappropriate relationship with a colleague she would later promote to assistant sheriff.
Corpus has denied the allegations, saying she's been targeted for being Latina and a woman in power. Her attorney spoke about the election earlier on Tuesday.
"We think it’s an unconstitutional election. We think it’s discriminatory because it is going into effect now. To target one person, and one person only. The first Latina sheriff and it ends after her term is over in 2028," said Bradley Gage, who represents Sheriff Corpus.
Several Peninsula cities have called for the sheriff to resign.
The measure was placed on the ballot in December, but Tuesday's vote is not a recall of the sheriff.
Board of Supervisors now have the power
What's next:
With Measure A's passage, the sheriff can now be removed from office with cause. It would take four out of five county supervisors to successfully oust Corpus.
Supervisors would have a finite timeline to act. Measure A expires in 2028, which lines up with the end of the sheriff's term in office. Corpus took office two years ago.
Elections officials say workers will continue counting votes and the election will be certified by April 3.
"Any ballot that is mailed today has seven days to get to the election office. So, March 11th will be the last day. So, we have a tail to this process, and we’re going to be receiving ballots all week long," said Jim Irizarry, San Mateo County’s Asst. Chief Elections Officer.
The Board of Supervisors held a press conference Wednesday afternoon following Tuesday's election.
KTVU also spoke to Gage on the phone right after the results came in. He said he believes Corpus has been treated unfairly, that some members of the board are biased against her, and now they’ll be exploring her legal options.
KTVU's James Torrez contributed to this story.
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