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After embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus filed a complaint on Jan. 10 against the county seeking to halt the March 4 special election that would allow the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to remove her from office, attorneys for county and board replied in court filings. They stated that Corpus filed her complaint too late, as the election is already underway.
According to a sworn declaration from Jim Irizarry, the assistant chief elections officer for San Mateo County, ballots for the March 4 election were sent to military and overseas voters on Jan. 17, and the election division has already begun receiving completed ballots. The county has also already begun printing the 440,000 voter information guides and sample ballots that will be mailed out to county voters by Feb. 11.
Vote by mail ballots will also be mailed to voters by Feb. 3, and the printing of those ballots has already been completed, according to the statement from Irizarry.
“Election staff began working on the March 4, 2025 as soon as it was announced,” wrote Irizarry. “Some of the planning items include coordinating with vendors, contracting with vendors, updating materials, and contacting staff. … Extra help staff have already been contacted about working the March 4, 2025 election.”
The measure on the ballot, Measure A, would give the Board of Supervisors the authority to remove Corpus from her office “for cause.” Supervisors voted to put the measure up for a vote following the release of a county-commissioned independent investigation that revealed abuses of power within the Sheriff’s office. Corpus has stated repeatedly that she will not step down from her position.
Corpus, via her Attorney Christopher Ulrich, requested that the county courts move the trial up to Feb. 24 so that it could be completed before the special election takes place. The case management and trial setting conference was previously scheduled for March 19, two weeks after the election will have taken place.
In her complaint against the county, Corpus alleges that the election was improperly calendared for March 4, as it represents a “substantial” change to the county charter, which her lawyers argue can only take place at a November general election. She also argues that the election should be cancelled because Supervisors Ray Mueller and Noelia Corzo took “biased actions” against Corpus which violated her rights.
On Thursday, Jan. 23, Andrew Werbrock, a lawyer retained by the county to represent the Board of Supervisors in this case, wrote that Corpus “waited far too long to seek any relief regarding the election.”
“By filing this case at the eleventh hour, (Corpus) has slept on her rights,” wrote Werbrock in the court filing.
‘By filing this case at the eleventh hour, (Corpus) has slept on her rights.’
county attorney Andrew Werbrock
Werbrock wrote that Corpus had two months since the first vote on the ordinance in November 2024 to file a complaint to stay the election, and cancelling the election now would only harm and confuse voters.
“If (Corpus’) ‘trial’ is held, as requested, on Feb. 24, hundreds of thousands of voters will have likely already cast their ballot at that time, and cancelling the election would sow confusion among the public,” Werbrock wrote.
In his sworn statement, Irizarry wrote that there were several public review periods for the ballot measure in December, and that the county elections office received no challenges in court to the ballot measure at those times.
Werbrock argues that a trial is not needed at all, as he sees no need for a factfinding and discovery process.
He also argues that the basis of Corpus’ argument for cancelling the election is faulty, as the sections of the state elections code that her attorneys cited when arguing that the election was improperly calendared does not apply to county governments, but rather to cities.
The court opted to move Corpus’ case management conference forward to Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 9 a.m. At that time, Judge Nicole Healy will hear arguments in favor of and against moving the trial forward.
Sheriff Corpus needs to read the room. She’s is fighting against everyone and everything. Time for her to read the writing on the wall and just go.
Matt is right. I don’t know why she is so desperately trying to hang on. She has shown herself to be totally compromised and corrupt. I voted for her hoping for change, unfortunately, after reading Cordell’s report, she is worse than what we had. If she had any sense she’d step down.