After six years of Carlos Bolanos’s steady hold on the sheriff’s office, he had finally found a worthy challenger—his own protégé. For years, Bolanos had supported and encouraged Christina Corpus in her rise through the San Mateo police department to become captain of its Millbrae office.
When reelection came in 2021, a year after the George Floyd Protests, many voters were looking for change. Corpus, young, fresh, qualified, entered the sheriff’s race as the face of progress.
Not only would she be the first woman and Latina elected to office, but she also promised to establish community-based policing, support immigrants, and set up clinician-led responses to mental health crises. She campaigned as a sheriff who would listen to her community.
On Jan. 8, 2023, the 26th sheriff in San Mateo County’s 167-year history was sworn in.
“It’s a new day,” Corpus said in her inaugural ceremony. “We are going to be involved. We are going to be out in the community that we serve.”
Just over two years later, however, that community would overwhelmingly turn their backs on Corpus. On March 4, voters approved Measure A, granting the Board of Supervisors the authority to remove her from office. The measure passed with almost 85% of the vote.
The sheriff’s fall from grace began in July 2024 when a surge in complaints from police staff led the Board of Supervisors to hire retired Judge LaDoris Cordell to lead an investigation into her conduct.
After three months of speculation and accusations, the report delivered a blistering 400-page indictment of the sheriff.
Many allegations revolved around Corpus’s decision to hire real estate agent Victor Aenelle, her secret romantic partner, as the “Sheriff’s Executive Director of Administration” without a public job opening or accepting other applicants. Not only did Aenelle have no experience to justify his role, but he also allegedly abused his position, falsely claiming the title of chief of staff and wearing a gold badge.
Corpus and her lover proceeded to “intimidate and retaliate against employees who spoke up against their illegal conduct,” according to the report.
Despite the vote, Corpus is adamant that she will not be resigning. She has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the county, alleging discrimination.
The Board of Supervisors will now move forward with the steps detailed in Measure A, which involve a board vote and a public hearing.