Supervisors select 3 finalists for office of San Mateo County sheriff
3 candidates vie for San Mateo County sheriff position
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors narrowed a crowded list of candidates to replace ousted Sheriff Christina Corpus to three people. Ken Binder is the Gilroy Police chief and former Santa Clara County Undersheriff; David Lazar is a retired SFPD assistant chief; and Brian Travis is the Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety for the Solano Community College Dist.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors selected three finalists to fill the office of sheriff after interviewing six qualified candidates during a special meeting Thursday.
What we know:
The initial candidates who faced questions by the board were former San Francisco Police Department Capt. Robert Yick, Solano Community College District Police Chief Brian Wynn Huynh Travis, City Manager of Hillsborough John Doug Davis, Gilroy Interim Police Chief Kenneth Binder, former Assistant Chief of the San Francisco Police Department David Lazar, and Sgt. David Weidner of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.
SFPD Capt. Kevin Lee, who passed the initial screening test, decided to drop his candidacy before the meeting.
The board decided to make a long-term appointment for the next sheriff after it fired former sheriff Christina Corpus last month, concluding over a year of scandals that rocked the Sheriff's Office. The next sheriff will serve the remainder of Corpus' term, which expires in 2028.
The office of San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus.
Supervisors ran off questions to each candidate, asking about their approaches to modern policing, experience in managing jails, overseeing large budgets, ability to address the different concerns in each region, and how they plan to bring stability and healing back into the Sheriff's Office. Modern policing, also known as "21st century policing," prioritizes community engagement and officer wellness.
After questioning each candidate for 30 minutes, the board chose three to move onto the final stage: Travis, Binder, and Lazar.
Travis has more than 25 years of public safety experience and currently serves as Police Chief for the Solano Community College District.
He worked for 14 years in the Solano County Sheriff's Office and rose to the rank of lieutenant where he gained experience in budgeting, supervising and overseeing sworn staff.
Originally from Vietnam, Travis relocated to San Mateo as young child with his siblings. He served in the U.S. Army before becoming a police officer in the South San Francisco Police Department.
What they're saying:
In his questioning, Travis focused on how he would go about boosting morale within the Sheriff's Office, expanding transparency, and implementing 21st century policing values.
"I believe that with the right leadership, the right tone, and the right culture, we can rebuild internal morale and public trust stronger than before," Travis said. "I will build an executive team that reflects the diversity and strength of San Mateo County and leaders who are visible, approachable and guided by service and practice absolutely and not politics or ambitions."
Travis is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and holds a Master of Business Administration-in management. He is a retired U.S. Army Major with 26 years of service, and successful deployments to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq while leading soldiers in combat zones, the county said.-
Binder began his 27-year law enforcement career in the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, working his way up to become undersheriff in 2020.
He briefly served as Acting Sheriff of Santa Clara County in 2022 after former Sheriff Laurie Smith retired early just before a civil grand jury convicted her of corruption and willful misconduct. Binder said in his application that in his role as acting sheriff, he helped stabilize the Sheriff's Office.
Binder also served as police chief for three cities that contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, where he focused on employing 21st century policing.
Binder retired from the Sheriff's Office in 2024 before taking up the position of Gilroy Interim Police Chief in June of this year.
Binder said he would want to hire Chris Hsuing back into the undersheriff position, as well as rehire Ryan Monaghan as assistant sheriff. Hsuing abruptly stepped down as Corpus' undersheriff in June 2024. Corpus tried to fire Monaghan in what many saw as retaliation for his cooperation in an independent investigation into her.
"One of the first things I need to do when I come in, if the board appoints me, would be to stabilize the organization," Binder said. "They haven't had solid leadership for a period, and coming in, I would want to have someone that is that trustworthy, respected by the rank and file, and that knows the organization inside and out."
According to the county, Binder holds a Master of Arts in criminal justice, a Bachelor of Science in business administration- finance, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Lazar recently ended a 33-year run with SFPD, where he rose through the ranks to become assistant chief for three years under former Police Chief Bill Scott.
He recently retired from SFPD in May, but seeing the turmoil in the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, he decided to throw his hat in the ring.
One action Lazar would take right away would be to fire Undersheriff Dan Perea, one of Lazar's former colleagues.
Before coming to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, Perea spent 33 years at SFPD where he rose to deputy chief. Perea was appointed by Corpus after Hsuing departed and has assumed the duties of sheriff in her absence. Perea was Corpus' right-hand-man in the last year of the scandal in the Sheriff's Office.
Lazar also said he would form an executive team from those already in the Sheriff's Office instead of bringing in outsiders.
"Maybe the 33 years I spent in San Francisco was for such a moment as this, to work here in San Mateo County, to come into an agency that is hurting, where leadership has failed them and be able to work with everybody, roll up my sleeves and move forward," Lazar said to the board.
In addition to his other experience, Lazar began as a student officer at San Francisco City College, was a 911 dispatcher for the SFPD, and then a Public Safety Officer for the University of San Francisco.
What's next:
The three finalists will participate in an open candidate forum on Monday, Nov. 10, where members of the public can submit questions to be asked. The public has until Friday to submit questions at https://www.smcgov.org/ceo/new-sheriff.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, the board will conduct final interviews in a public meeting and make a selection of the next sheriff.
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