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To the dismay of embattled San Mateo Sheriff Christina Corpus, the County’s Executive Office will now oversee the Sheriff’s Office’s finances, forcing collaboration between two county entities already locked in litigation.
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the resolution on Tuesday, citing financial instability, as the Sheriff’s Office’s reserves have dropped to less than 0.5%, well under the 4% minimum requirement. District 4 Supervisor Lisa Gauthier was absent.
“Two of the most important responsibilities of the Board are oversight of county programs and prudent expenditure of taxpayer money,” said Supervisor Jackie Speier. “We need to get control of this situation now, not later.”
At the Sept. 9 meeting, Speier requested a resolution placing the Sheriff’s Office under reserve policy guidance for review on Sept. 23.
“This is not fiscal stewardship—it is retaliatory behavior,” Corpus stated in a letter to John Nibbelin with the county attorney’s office on Sunday.
The sheriff disputed claims of fiscal irresponsibility, citing a number of challenges “outside of [her] control.” These included the Sheriff’s Office contribution of $10 million to fund the 330 Bradford St. building, the authorization of double overtime, as well as pre-approved salary increases that took effect during her tenure.
She also criticized the process, saying she first learned of the agenda item through social media. “The lack of transparency surrounding this resolution is deeply troubling and raises fundamental questions about governance and fairness,” she wrote.
“The lack of transparency surrounding this resolution is deeply troubling and raises fundamental questions about governance and fairness,” she wrote.
Effie Milionis Verducci, the county’s interim director of strategic communications, said the Sheriff’s Department leadership was notified of the Reserve Policy changes last year by the county’s Chief Financial Officer and fiscal staff, “along with the expectation that departments comply with the updated policy.”
The county’s former Reserves Policy stated that if an office’s reserves fall to below 2%, the Executive Office is empowered to oversee financial management. The county updated this policy in September 2024 to increase the minimum percentage of reserves to 4%, in the interest of preventing financial instability from affecting vital services.
Reserves act like a “cushion” in guarding against rising costs, revenue shortfalls and new demands on services, Verducci told this news organization. The county’s fiscal team will review all contracts for goods and services that come before the Sheriff’s Office, while also helping the office meet policy requirements.
Operational and law enforcement decisions remain with the Sheriff and her administration, Verducci clarified, adding that “this is a temporary step until financial stability is restored.”
The County’s decision to authorize double overtime pay, she said, in tandem with the fact that she’s a plaintiff in an active litigation that seeks to remove her from her office with the county, “creates a clear and undeniable conflict of interest,” the sheriff said.
The update to the Sheriff’s Office budgetary autonomy comes as the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors awaits a recommendation from retired Judge James Emerson following a two-week hearing on whether to remove Corpus from office. In the independent report commissioned by the county, the county accused Corpus of having an inappropriate romantic relationship with a colleague and that they together fostered a culture of intimidation and retaliation at the Sheriff’s Department.
Those findings were based on a separate investigation conducted by the county and the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to begin removal proceedings against Corpus under the new authority granted by Measure A, a charter amendment approved by voters in March.
Meanwhile, Corpus’ alleged romantic partner and former chief of staff, Victor Aenlle, has filed his own federal lawsuit against the county and supervisors, alleging retaliation, wrongful termination, defamation and abuse of power.
In her letter to Nibbelin, Corpus requested that the county define whether other department heads are “being subjected to the same scrutiny for reserve compliance,” in the interest of “clarity and fairness.”
The Department of Emergency Management has 1.95% in reserves, according to Verducci, so it has been working with the Chief Financial Officer’s staff to meet the Reserve Policy requirements by the 2025-26 fiscal year. If Emergency Management continues to have an operating deficit for more than two consecutive budgetary years within the next five years, the office will be subject to additional fiscal oversight.
Corpus concluded her letter by expressing her commitment “to collaboration and to the principles of transparency and accountability.” Her sole focus, she said, is to serve the residents of San Mateo County with integrity and ensure that every decision “strengthens — not weakens — our ability to keep them safe.”
