Residents will get a chance Tuesday evening to tell the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors how they think the vacant sheriff’s seat should be filled.
Christina Corpus, who was elected as the first female and Latina sheriff of San Mateo County in 2022, was officially removed from her position two weeks ago for misconduct. The supervisors voted unanimously to oust her at a special meeting Oct. 14, which has left the county without an acting sheriff.
Undersheriff Dan Perea has assumed the sheriff’s duties since then and will continue to do so until a successor is appointed or a special election is called. That process is up in the air, and one community member can influence Tuesday. The board will also be seeking input on the qualities the public would like to see in the next sheriff.
The County Charter requires a decision by Nov. 13 to either appoint a new sheriff or call for a special election to fill the vacancy; a special election would cost $3.2 million, according to County Attorney John Nibbelin.
If the board plans for a special election, it would need to be scheduled between 102 to 131 days from the decision date — so as early as Feb. 7, 2026, or as late as March 24, 2026. The board could also choose to align the election with the June 2, 2026, primary.
Board President David Canepa said Tuesday’s meeting is a “vital opportunity for community members to participate in shaping the future of public safety in San Mateo County.”
One week after Corpus’ ousting, the supervisors went back and forth for nearly an hour Oct. 21 to discuss possible routes for filling the vacant sheriff position.
Supervisor Ray Mueller proposed appointing a new sheriff, on the condition that they resign in June in time for the primaries. He, among other supervisors, was worried that allowing the undersheriff to lead the pack for such a long interim could hinder the healing of the Sheriff’s Office upon Corpus’s removal because Perea was Corpus’s appointee.
Most supervisors were in favor of allowing voters to decide the June 2026 regularly scheduled election.
Supervisor Noelia Corzo favored the board appointing a sheriff to serve the rest of Corpus’ term, which would run until 2028, because she’s worried the county could elect a sheriff who might be willing to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to which she is staunchly opposed.
County Attorney John Nibbelin said that a special election to select the next sheriff would cost an estimated $3.2 million.
No decision was made at the Oct. 21 meeting, other than scheduling a special meeting Oct. 28 for the public and members of the Sheriff’s Office to share their input. Mueller also intends to hold a listening session at his office in Half Moon Bay to accommodate his constituents who live by the coast.
The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at the Board Chambers at 500 County Center, and will be streamed live and archived on the county’s public meeting portal.
