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Just two days after supervisors Ray Mueller and Noelia Corzo called into question her firing of a high-level officer amidst a county board investigation into her office, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus filed a formal complaint against County Executive Mike Callagy with the very same Board of Supervisors. She is accusing Callagy of “retaliation, abuse of power, sexual discrimination and bullying tactics” to undermine her authority as an elected official.
In a letter addressed to board President Warren Slocum, Corpus requested that the board initiate an independent investigation into Callagy. But on Monday morning, Slocum told this news organization that he had yet to receive the letter from Corpus.
“This investigation should cover his attempts to conspire against an elected sheriff, discrimination, sexual harassment, abuse of power and persistent interference with the operations of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office,” she wrote in the letter, obtained by this news organization shortly after Corpus held a news conference on the matter Sunday evening.
The Board of Supervisors commissioned an independent investigation into her office, led by former Superior Court Judge LaDoris Cordell, regarding multiple complaints of abuse that had been made against personnel in the Sheriff’s Office.
Many of these complaints were instigated by the Sheriff’s unions. At a press conference on Sept. 17, Carlos Tapia, president of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association board, said that the Sheriff’s Office is “gripped by an atmosphere of unease and retaliation,” and that many employees fear speaking out against Corpus.
The DSA has also filed several unfair labor practice complaints against the Sheriff’s Office with the California Public Employment Relations Board. Many of the union’s complaints surround the behavior of Corpus’ chief of staff, Victor Aenlle.
In her letter to Slocum, Corpus claimed Callagy had undermined her authority as sheriff by “routinely inserting himself into the operations of the Sheriff’s Office.” She said that he had made unilateral decisions without her input, such as intervening in contract city police services negotiations, negotiating with Sheriff’s unions without her present and attempting to block the termination of Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan after Corpus fired him.
She said that Callagy’s negotiations with the Sheriff’s union have destabilized labor relations. “The burden of the current situation with the unions is directly attributed to Mr. Callagy’s inappropriate backdoor interference.”
Corpus said that Callagy’s involvement with her office is unique and has not taken place under previous sheriffs. She claims this is an abuse of Callagy’s power.
“Mr. Callagy is a nonelected county official, attempting to override decisions made by the highest law enforcement elected official in this county,” she wrote in her letter. “It’s a direct challenge to the autonomy granted to the Sheriff’s Office. … Let me be clear: the authority to manage my staff and maintain the integrity of this office rests solely with me.”
Corpus said that during her first meeting with Callagy after being elected, he “ordered” her to reveal whom she had dated within the county and when. She added that, as a woman of color who had experienced sexual harassment in the county, she was shocked and appalled by his inappropriate behavior. Corpus also said she couldn’t imagine him making such a request of her predecessors, all of whom were men.
She added that Callagy has supported and empowered the “the good ol’ boys” in the Sheriff’s Office. He has swept past claims of sexual harassment and retaliation under the rug under previously elected sheriffs, she said.
In her letter, Corpus questioned Callagy’s concern for retaliation and county liability under her administration, asking where it was when sexual harassment claims were made under the previous administration.
“Instead of independent investigations into such claims, the harassers were often protected, and victims were either silenced or paid off. Mr. Callagy’s willingness to defend certain individuals while undermining my decisions suggests a clear double standard,” she said.
If the Board of Supervisors does not act on her requests to initiate an investigation into Callagy, Corpus said she is prepared to escalate the complaint to the state level.
She has also requested “immediate funding” from the county to provide independent legal counsel to represent the Sheriff’s Office going forward, as the County Attorney’s Office has a ”clear conflict of interest” and has “failed to represent (her) in good faith.”
This news organization has contacted Callagy for comment on Corpus’ allegations but has not yet received a response.
Assistant Sheriff
At the Sunday press conference, Corpus announced the promotion of Matthew Fox to acting assistant sheriff. Fox will replace Ryan Monaghan, whom she fired on Friday, Sept. 20. Corpus said Assistant Sheriff Fox aligns with her “values and vision” for the future of the Sheriff’s Office.
In statements released on Friday, Supervisors Mueller and Corzo alleged that the timing of Corpus’ termination of Monaghan suggests that retaliation may have been a possible motive for his dismissal.
Monaghan had been participating in the independent investigation into the Sheriff’s Office and had been interviewed by Cordell regarding the allegations made against the office, according to Mueller. Mueller said that the County Attorney’s Office would be reviewing Monaghan’s termination for evidence of retaliation.
Corpus told reporters at Sunday’s news conference that Monaghan’s termination was in no way connected to his participation in the investigation of her office and that she parted ways with him because they “did not share the same vision.”
In her letter to the board, Corpus indicated that Monaghan was fired due to “performance duplicity” and “failure to execute the goals of the Sheriff’s Office expeditiously.”
“My decision to separate from at-will employee Assistant Sheriff Monaghan was not only a long time coming, but something into which I put significant thought and deliberation,” she wrote. “This decision had nothing to do with retaliation. I understand that may be a visceral assumption for you, given the practices of my predecessor, but that is not in line with my philosophy.”
Corpus told reporters that she encourages all of her employees to speak with Cordell.
Additionally, Corpus accused Callagy of blocking Monaghan’s termination. She alleged that Callagy and Monaghan’s personal relationship may have influenced that decision.
“Monaghan has often referred to Mr. Callagy as a mentor,” she wrote.
At the press conference on Sunday, Corpus said that her decision to fire Monaghan stands, and that “any continued efforts to block this division will be met with legal action to protect the integrity of (her) office.”
In her letter to Slocum, Corpus also questioned the integrity of the independent investigation into her office. She said that multiple employees have told her that they have attempted to contact Cordell and the county counsel’s office to provide statements, but their requests have gone unanswered.
“It is clear that the Board of Supervisors does not have authority over the Sheriff’s Office. This third-party inquiry … is just another attempt to undermine my role,” she wrote.
