San Mateo Co. officials call on Sheriff Christina Corpus to step down following explosive report

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) - San Mateo County Board of Supervisors are calling for the immediate resignation of Sheriff Christina Corpus.

The calls come after an independent investigation accused the sheriff off abusing her power and having inappropriate relations with a member of her staff.

"I'm not resigning. I am an elected official. Elected by the people of this county that represent change."

San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus fiercely responded to allegations made against her in a newly released 400-page independent report.

"This is a hatchet job of an inquiry which was commissioned with a predetermined outcome in mind. And it was filled with lies," Corpus said.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from sheriff's office staff.

Among other things, the resulting report accuses the sheriff of abuse of power, using intimidation and retaliation tactics, as well as having an inappropriate personal relationship with her chief of staff. It also alleges the sheriff used racist and homophobic language.

All charges the sheriff denies.

"These are people who have a vendetta against me. I am disgusted at how low these people will go," said Corpus.

But members of the county's Board of Supervisors believe it's the sheriff who's lying.

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During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller called on the sheriff to resign immediately.

"It's clear we have a sheriff we cannot trust. This independent investigation lays out the reasons," Corzo said.

Earlier in the day, the sheriff's department arrested Carlos Tapia, the president of the Deputy Sheriff's Association union, on two separate charges.

Tapia is one of many deputies who has criticized the sheriff and her office.

"I will not be intimidated by our sheriff. I will not tolerate the sheriff's abuse of her authority and retaliation against our union," Tapia said.

The county supervisors say they believe Tapia's arrest was an effort by the sheriff to distract from the report's release.

"It's an example of the type of retaliatory culture that this investigation was founded upon to investigate," said Mueller.

While the process plays out, several San Mateo County community organizers worry its the people of the county who will suffer the most.

That includes Jim Lawrence of Fixin San Mateo County - a group specifically focused on police oversight and transparency.

"San Mateo County is one of the safest counties there is because we believe in our law enforcement. We trust them. There was transparency. There was that relationship we could depend on. That's destroyed - in one day, in one report," Lawrence said.

While the Board of Supervisors cannot fire the sheriff, they say they will consider what steps can be taken at a meeting on Wednesday.