San Mateo County voters will decide on Measure A, which would give county supervisors the power to recall Sheriff Christina Corpus, in a special election on March 4. The measure comes after an independent report confirmed allegations of Corpus’s corruption, including that her intimate relationship with her chief of staff, Victor Aenlle, constituted a conflict of interest.
Published on Nov. 12, 2024, the report addressed 15 allegations of corruption, intimidation, and other abuses of power involving Corpus and Aenlle. The investigation found that Corpus and Aenlle have had an intimate relationship since at least 2021 and that Corpus made efforts to keep Aenlle employed by her office despite his outside work and failure to meet duty requirements.
Of the 15 allegations, 11 were sustained and one was partially sustained. Per Sheriff’s Office Policy 1025, this relationship constitutes a conflict of interest and means Corpus should not have hired, compensated, or supervised him.
The Board of Supervisors approved the special election on Dec. 3, 2024. If passed, Measure A would amend the county charter, allowing the Board of Supervisors to remove a sheriff from office for cause by a four-fifths vote.
Supporters of the measure argue the normal recall process would delay Corpus’s removal from office, allowing further abuses of power, while opponents claim the measure takes power away from voters. The usual process for recalling a sheriff requires a petition with 45,000 valid signatures gathered within 160 days and a majority vote in the general election.
Employees from the sheriff’s office described Corpus and Aenlle’s romantic text messages and public displays of affection, beginning when Corpus was a captain at the Millbrae substation. The testimonies also revealed the two traveled together and Aenlle bought Corpus expensive gifts. Both Corpus and Aenlle denied their relationship when confronted by employees.
Aenlle worked on Corpus’s 2022 campaign for sheriff and helped lead her transition team. After Corpus was sworn in, he began working for the sheriff’s office in various capacities: first as a contracted consultant, then as Special Projects Coordinator, and then as Executive Director of Administration.
All three positions had similar job descriptions and were newly created when Aenlle applied. For the latter two, he was hired despite stating in his applications that he worked 40 hours per week at Coldwell Banker and another 40 supervising employees at his private investigation business. Corpus made multiple requests to increase Aenlle’s pay during his tenure.
Moreover, Aenlle confirmed that Corpus issued him a gold badge similar to that of a sworn peace officer. The facsimile badge could allow him to impersonate or be mistaken for an employee with full police powers, putting both him and Corpus in violation of the law. The two also gave civilians honorary badges and identification cards, which could be misused, despite lacking a formal policy for doing so.
“I have a professional relationship with Sheriff Corpus. I admire that woman. She has inspired me. I’ve known her for a long time. She’s a beautiful human being,” Aenlle told Judge Cordell on Sept. 25, 2024. “I’ve always had a strong friendship with her, but it’s been a professional relationship.”
The investigation also found that Corpus and Aenlle retaliated against and intimidated employees they considered disloyal. In one instance, Corpus locked a captain out of her substation, revoked her access to law enforcement communication systems, and prevented her from using social media. The captain had given notice that she would be leaving to work at another law enforcement agency but was at the time of these events still employed by the sheriff’s office. Corpus also used slurs to refer to a former sheriff and a city council member while talking to and texting her employees.
Supervisor Noelia Corzo authored the official argument in favor of the measure. It was signed by Deputy Sheriff Matthew Silano and Sheriff Sergeant Sean Harper among other current and former public officials. “Our community deserves better leadership, accountability, and integrity,” Corzo wrote. “There must be consequences if a sheriff violates the law and public trust.”
The formal argument against the measure, authored by Pacifica resident Dan Stegink, has no other signers. “Measure [A] is voter suppression, and strips voters of their power to elect an independent Sheriff, turning our direct Democracy into a Bureaucracy,” Stegink wrote.
Stegink emphasized Corpus’s record as sheriff. “Corpus has made great progress, including…[z]ero homicides in 2024, [r]apes down 26%, burglaries down 23%, assaults down 40% and stolen property down 38%,” he wrote. This was in line with national trends—in 2024, homicides decreased 16%, sexual assaults fell 6%, and residential burglaries dropped 13%.
Corpus has denied the allegations against her and filed a $10 million claim against the County for defamation, harassment, and discrimination. “[The measure] is a mean-spirited political scheme,” she said in a public statement on Nov. 19, 2024. “This…is an effort to go around the voters to try to unseat me. I will fight it tooth and nail. I am not going anywhere.”
