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San Mateo County, CA — The recent accusation against Sheriff Christina Corpus by the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury is not just a singular crisis — it is a symptom of a much deeper problem: the continued failure of our county leadership to implement meaningful, independent civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Office.

For three years, Fixin’ San Mateo County has urged the Board of Supervisors to establish a Civilian Oversight Commission and appoint an independent Inspector General. The tools have been available since 2020, when the California Legislature passed AB 1185 to empower counties with the authority to oversee their sheriffs. But instead of embracing this opportunity to strengthen public trust and accountability, the Board chose inaction.

While the creation of the Independent Civilian Advisory Committee (ICAC) was a step in the right direction, it was ultimately powerless — lacking the authority, resources, or mandate to investigate misconduct or issue findings. Now, reports allege that Sheriff Corpus interfered in internal investigations involving deputy misconduct, leaving the department in turmoil and public trust badly shaken.

“This is not about one person — it’s about an entire system that has resisted transparency for too long,” said Jim Lawrence, Board Chair of Fixin’ San Mateo County. “We need to act now to rebuild trust and ensure no future sheriff, regardless of who they are, can operate without independent accountability. Oversight protects the public and supports the good officers who serve with integrity every day.”

Fixin’ San Mateo County is calling on the Board of Supervisors to:

• Immediately strengthen the ICAC by granting it full investigatory powers, a clear mandate, and the resources to operate effectively.
• Appoint an independent Inspector General with subpoena authority who reports to the public through a truly independent structure — not to the Sheriff.
• Establish a transparent reform timeline with regular public updates and opportunities for community input.

Counties like Los Angeles and Sonoma have implemented strong oversight models that work — models that improve morale, reward integrity, and build trust between departments and the communities they serve. San Mateo County can do the same.

Media Contact
Jim Lawrence
Fixin’ San Mateo County
408-590-0429
jtlawrence94404@yahoo.com
www.fixinsmc.org

San Mateo County, CA – Fixin’ San Mateo County strongly urges Sheriff Christina Corpus to remove her objection to the public release of the 59-page Notice of Intent to Remove the Sheriff (NOI).

At today’s special meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus from office, based on the allegations delineated in the NOI. The County had offered Sheriff Corpus the opportunity to keep the NOI secret, and her attorneys asked to do so. Sheriff Corpus campaigned on a platform of transparency and integrity, and Fixin’ urges her to reconsider her request to keep the NOI under wraps. Powerful people operating in secrecy is a significant part of the reason the county finds itself in this difficult situation.

“I am disappointed that the Sheriff sought to keep this report out of the public eye,” said Jim Lawrence, Board Chair of Fixin’ San Mateo County. “With this secrecy, we don’t know what the supervisors voted on today.  The public deserves transparency.” 

The NOI was developed with taxpayer dollars after the overwhelming passage to Measure A.  We commend the Board for exercising its oversight responsibility — first by hiring an independent investigator to look at concerns raised by employees of the Sheriff’s Office, then acting on the findings by sponsoring Measure A.  But transparency is one of the key advantages of oversight, and release of the NOI is an essential step.

The next step to better oversight is to hire a permanent Inspector General, instead of relying on ad hoc crisis response. If we had an Inspector General the situation may not have come to this. Deputies would have had an independent avenue to escalate their complaints and steps would have been taken earlier to address their concerns. 

Fixin’ has led a broad coalition in pursuit of reform. Six local governments representing 60% of the county’s population endorsed our efforts, alongside more than 35 organizations advocating for stronger oversight. The county has paid out over $13 million in settlements related to misconduct in the past four years, with millions more in pending lawsuits and the costs of a special election.

Fixin’ remains steadfast in our support for the hardworking deputies who risk their lives to protect our community. Oversight is not punitive; it should be of benefit to the deputies and staff as well as the larger community. True public safety requires both accountability and trust among law enforcement employees, and between law enforcement and the people they serve.

Media Contact:

Jim Lawrence
Fixin’ San Mateo County
408-590-0429, jtlawrence94404@yahoo.com