It wasn't supposed to end like this. When Christina Corpus was sworn in as the first Latina sheriff in San Mateo County history back in January 2023, there was a sense of genuine momentum. She was the reformer. The outsider who took down the old guard. Fast forward to late 2025, and she became the first sheriff in California history to be ousted from office by a Board of Supervisors.
The reason? A whirlwind of allegations centered on her relationship with her Chief of Staff, Victor Aenlle. Honestly, the whole saga feels more like a prestige TV drama than a local government dispute. We’re talking about high-stakes internal power struggles, $1,200 boots hidden in a van, and the kind of bridge-burning that usually leaves a department in ruins for a decade.
The Relationship That Divided an Agency
At the heart of everything is the link between Christina Corpus and Victor Aenlle. To hear them tell it, they were just close friends and professional allies who wanted to shake up a stagnant department. But the county's investigators—and eventually a retired judge—saw it differently.
In November 2024, a report by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell dropped like a bomb. It didn't just suggest they were close; it alleged a romantic affair and a "culture of intimidation." One specific detail that got everyone talking was the "Employee No. 3" testimony. This person claimed to have seen them kissing and sharing massages. Then there were the gifts: a $12,000 pair of diamond earrings and those infamous $1,200 Nordstrom boots that Corpus reportedly kept in her van to hide from her then-husband.
Corpus and Aenlle have always been adamant: these claims are "fabricated" and "politically motivated." Aenlle even testified that he went to Hawaii with her not for a romantic getaway, but to help babysit her son who has autism. But for the Board of Supervisors, the optics were impossible to ignore. They weren't just worried about who was dating whom; they were worried about who was actually running the Sheriff’s Office.
✨ Don't miss: Melissa Calhoun Satellite High Teacher Dismissal: What Really Happened
Power, Paychecks, and the "Shadow Sheriff"
The real friction started when Aenlle’s influence began to eclipse the actual command staff. Victor Aenlle wasn't a career cop. He was a real estate broker and a reserve deputy. Yet, once Corpus took office, he was suddenly the gatekeeper.
Judge Cordell’s report alleged that Corpus had basically "relinquished control" of the department to him. This wasn't just about hurt feelings in the breakroom. It was about the money. Corpus reportedly made four separate requests to hike Aenlle’s salary, eventually getting him up to $246,979 a year. When the county HR department blocked further raises, the tension between the Sheriff’s Office and the County Executive's office turned into an all-out war.
Think about that for a second. You have a massive law enforcement agency where the veteran captains and the undersheriff feel like they have to take orders from a civilian real estate agent. It's a recipe for a total morale collapse.
Key points of the fallout:
- Retaliation Claims: Captains and deputies who cooperated with investigators suddenly found themselves reassigned or locked out of their offices.
- The Union Clash: The arrest of Carlos Tapia, the president of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, was perhaps the final straw. Corpus claimed it was about timecard fraud. Critics—and later a judge—called it a blatant act of retaliation without probable cause.
- Spending Scrutiny: It wasn't just the salaries. People started looking at the books and found a $74,000 conference table and a request for ten high-end massage chairs.
The Measure A Ouster
By early 2025, the county had enough. They didn't want to wait for a standard recall election, which can take forever and cost millions. Instead, they put Measure A on the ballot in March 2025. It was a surgical move: a charter amendment that gave the Board of Supervisors the power to fire an elected sheriff for "cause" with a four-fifths vote.
🔗 Read more: Wisconsin Judicial Elections 2025: Why This Race Broke Every Record
It passed with a staggering 84% of the vote. The people of San Mateo County weren't just whispering anymore; they were shouting.
The formal removal process that followed was grueling. Ten days of evidentiary hearings in August 2025 where Aenlle himself took the stand. He didn't hold back, calling his former colleagues "incompetent" and "scared." He framed himself as a whistleblower trying to fix a corrupt system. But the hearing officer, retired Judge James Emerson, wasn't buying the defense. His 42-page opinion concluded that Corpus had indeed violated conflict-of-interest laws and used her office to benefit Aenlle.
On October 14, 2025, the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to remove her. Effective immediately.
Where Things Stand Now
So, what happened next? Usually, when someone is fired, they disappear. Not these two.
💡 You might also like: Casey Ramirez: The Small Town Benefactor Who Smuggled 400 Pounds of Cocaine
Christina Corpus actually used a county policy to "retire" within 24 hours of her firing to protect her benefits. She’s still out there publicly claiming the whole thing was a "political hack job" by a "good old boys" network. She hasn't stopped fighting to clear her name in the courts.
Victor Aenlle didn't go quietly either. After being removed from his Chief of Staff role, he stayed on briefly as a reserve deputy before being fired by the new administration in November 2025. He’s currently suing the county for $100 million, alleging defamation and civil rights violations. He claims he was targeted not for his conduct, but for his loyalty to Corpus.
Meanwhile, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is trying to pick up the pieces. Ken Binder was named the new sheriff in late 2025, promising a return to "integrity and transparency." It’s a tall order. The department has been through the wringer, and the legal battles between the county and the former sheriff's team are likely to drag on for years.
The Real Lesson for Law Enforcement
This isn't just a story about a scandal in a California suburb. It’s a case study in what happens when personal loyalty overrides institutional checks and balances.
If you're following this story to understand the future of San Mateo County, keep an eye on the Civil Grand Jury. While the Board of Supervisors handled the removal, the Grand Jury still has its own investigation into the criminal aspects of the conflict-of-interest and retaliation claims.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Monitor the Lawsuits: The federal civil rights suit filed by Aenlle will likely bring more internal emails and texts to light. If you want the "unfiltered" version of what happened, the discovery phase of that trial is where it will be found.
- Watch the Inspector General: San Mateo County is now moving toward a permanent, independent civilian inspector general. This is a direct result of the Corpus era.
- Check the Local Ballots: The special election to permanently fill the Sheriff's seat is the next big hurdle for the county's recovery.
The Christina Corpus and Victor Aenlle era is technically over, but the fallout is just getting started. It serves as a stark reminder that in public service, who you bring with you into the room matters just as much as what you do once you're there.