Redwood City – Flanked by two Sheriff’s Office captains who earlier this week asked their boss to resign, County Supervisor Ray Mueller shared definitive forensic proof that the homophobic slur attributed to Sheriff Christina Corpus in the recently-released independent report by Judge LaDoris Cordell did in fact originate from Corpus’ phone.
Mueller and Supervisor Noelia Corzo (joining remotely) also released a government claim from a former captain who resigned rather than arrest the Deputy Sheriff’s Association president — the first claim in what County leaders expect will be a flood of potentially-costly costly litigation that would be footed by taxpayers.
“This is money that should have been used to help the hungry, the sick and the vulnerable in this county,” Mueller said.
Mueller and Corzo also released a memorandum dated Nov. 14, 2024, from the undersheriff to the sheriff. In the memorandum, the undersheriff states that Victor Aenlle, who at this point had ceased to be a County employee, suggested he change the codes to the gun safe in the executive office and stated: “This is how they’re going to get me.” Per the memorandum, Perea did not comply, citing the ongoing investigation and asked Aenlle not to contact him again.
Taken together, this evidence bolsters the conclusions in Cordell’s report and shows that the pattern of retaliation and questionable acts continues to this day, Mueller said.
Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Office continues to hemorrhage staff. Mueller cited an organizational chart of the command staff, pointing out that the undersheriff is the only member of the executive team other than the sheriff who hasn’t resigned and that two captain slots are vacant. Nearly all of the executive and command staff were hired or promoted by Corpus so “when she claims to the media and the residents of the county she is fighting an old boys network, she is being dishonest,” Mueller said.
Corzo said the county and specifically the Latino communities that supported Corpus need to see through her lies.
“We need a sheriff we can trust,” Corzo said. As a community, we must stand united against lies and corruption, especially when it continues to harm our own people."
The news conference comes two days after the Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to move forward a County Charter amendment that would allow voters to give them the narrow and temporary power to remove a sheriff when certain criteria are met..
Judge LaDoris Cordell’s full report as well as associated news releases and videos of news conferences and the special Board of Supervisors meeting is available here.
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org