Accusations, recriminations continue amid San Mateo County Sheriff's Office drama
The ongoing and very public feud involving the San Mateo County sheriff, rank-and-file deputies and the county's Board of Supervisors continued to drag on this week with another flurry of dueling media statements.
The latest back-and-forth started over the weekend when Sheriff Cristina Corpus sent a letter to the supervisors alleging that County Executive Mike Callagy had interfered in her office, undermining her authority and abusing his power.
"I was elected by the people of San Mateo County to enact necessary reforms in the Sheriff's Office," Corpus said in a letter to Supervisor Warren Slocum, president of the board. "Culture change is never easy, and resistance from certain individuals -- rooted in outdated practices from previous administrations -- is expected.
"But what is unacceptable is Mr. Callagy's support of this resistance, his interference with personnel decisions, and his continuous efforts to undermine my leadership," Corpus said.
She went on to accuse Callagy of trying to block her firing of Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan and telling her she needed to tell him "when and who I date within the county." Corpus also held a press conference Sunday to discuss the accusations.
On Monday, Supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller issued a statement they said was on behalf of the entire board saying the county is reviewing her complaint but that they stand behind Callagy.
"County Executive Callagy has been an ethical public servant in San Mateo County for over 41 years. Unless proven otherwise, the Board will remain united in its full faith and trust in his leadership," according to the statement.
Later Monday, Corpus fired back with another statement of her own saying she was disappointed but not surprised by the supervisors' response and telling Mueller to stay out of the beef.
"Their response doesn't address the serious concerns I raised related to Mr. Callagy's inappropriate conduct. It sends a clear message: when you raise a complaint in San Mateo County as a woman, you will be dismissed," Corpus said. "Additionally, I think it's best for Supervisor Mueller to recuse himself from this issue as he has already demonstrated his biased fandom for Mr. Callagy. The dirty politics must stop once and for all."
Not to be left out of the latest round of public statements, the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff's Association and the San Mateo County Organization of Sheriff's Sergeants on Tuesday released a brief missive saying Corpus' letter "inexplicably blames" Callagy for the ongoing labor unrest.
The unions point the finger at Corpus and her chief of staff Victor Aenlle and have filed unfair labor practice complaints with the California Public Employment Relations Board alleging the Sheriff's Office changed its minimum staffing level policy without union input and refused to meet about an expiring overtime policy.
They also allege Corpus attempted to sow distrust between members of the union and its leadership and that Aenlle tried to convince union members to recall their own board members, among other things.
The unions' statement from Tuesday also said they're concerned about Mueller's allegation that Corpus might have fired Assistant Sheriff Monaghan in retaliation for cooperating with an investigation, initiated by the Board of Supervisors, into the discord at the Sheriff's Office.
"Though Assistant Sheriff Monaghan is not a DSA or OSS member, the DSA and OSS strongly oppose retaliating against any employee on account of that employee's testimony or assistance in an investigation," according to the unions' statement.
Corpus strongly denied the allegation and accused Mueller of "trying to get publicity, and that behavior is inappropriate, unprofessional and needs to stop."