San Mateo County voters to decide if sheriff can be removed from office

Special election on March 4

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Voters in San Mateo County on Tuesday will decide on Measure A in a special election. 

If passed, the measure will give the Board of Supervisors the one-time power to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus, who has been under fire since the release of a 408-page report that detailed allegations of corruption, cultivating a toxic work environment and abuse of power.

Measure A allows an amendment to the county charter that would give the supervisors the power to remove the elected sheriff for cause. It would require a vote of four out of five supervisors. The authority would expire at the end of 2028.

The board voted to place Measure A on the ballot in December, and now, voters have the chance to decide if the sheriff can be removed just two years after she was elected.

"I received my ballot in the mail, and I sent it back in already," said Amy Oxner,of Redwood City.

Oxner says she moved to Redwood City from North Carolina two years ago. 

She says though she doesn’t know all the details of the report about Corpus, she supports the board having temporary power to remove her.

"If it gave them permanent (power), then no, because the voters should decide who the sheriff is, but once this is done, that would be the easiest way to fix it, instead of having another election and everything," said Oxner. 

Corpus was sworn into office back in January 2023. 

"That the Board of Supervisors thought that it was so important, that the sheriff needed to be potentially removed as soon as possible, should suggest to people that this is really quite important," said Melissa Michelson Menlo College Political Science professor.   

 Corpus has denied the allegations and refused to resign. 

A rebuttal to Measure A was also filed by Pacifica resident Dan Stegink, who called the election a power grab by supervisors and a form of voter suppression.

 If the sheriff is removed, the under-sheriff will immediately take her place, and then the board can appoint someone or hold a special election to choose a sheriff.  

Mail-in ballots were sent to voters on Feb 3. 

San Mateo County says of its nearly 444,500 registered voters, about 79,000 ballots had been returned by Feb. 28. 

If Measure A fails, a traditional recall election can still be held to remove Corpus. 

You can also still cast a conditional vote on Tuesday, if you aren’t already registered.