Christina Corpus recall, San Mateo County, California (2024-2025)
| Christina Corpus recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
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| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in California California recall laws Sheriff recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus in California did not go to a vote. The recall campaign was started Jim Harnett, who is the former mayor of Redwood City, California. Recall organizers had to gather 46,000 signatures in order to get the recall on the ballot. The recall effort ceased after the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted to remove Corpus from office.[2]
Recall supporters
Corpus faced calls to resign since a November 12, 2024, independent report was released by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell. The report said that "fear of retaliation is rampant in" the San Mateo County Sheriff's office and that "lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest, and abuses of authority are the hallmarks of the Corpus administration."[1]
In addition to the recall, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors advanced a county charter amendment that would allow them to remove Corpus via a board vote. The amendment passed in March 2025.[3] The county charter amendment effort was endorsed by U.S. Representatives Anna Eshoo and Kevin Mullin, as well as the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Association (DSA) and Organization of Sheriff’s Sergeants (OSS).[4] The DSA and OSS have both called on Corpus to resign, saying Corpus' refusal to resign was "not an act of defiance but a glaring display of contempt for the overwhelming consensus of those who see the damage caused under your administration.”[1]
Recall opponents
In a letter to the community, Corpus said: "This moment challenges not only my leadership but the independence and integrity of this office. I will not step down, nor will I allow this institution to be politicized or influenced by special interests."[1] She further added, in reference to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisor's attempt to remove her via charter amendment: “If you want a sheriff out, you hold a recall...this is a blatant attempt to go around the voters. They don’t want a recall vote because they know they will lose.”[5]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
No specific grounds are required for recall in California. The recall process starts with a notice of intention to recall. The notice must be served to the officer whose recall is being sought as well as published in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice must then be filed with the relevant election office. Once the notice has been deemed sufficient by the election office, a petition must also be filed and approved by the election office. Once the petition is approved, it can be circulated. To get a recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction. The number of signatures required is between 10% and 30% of registered voters in the jurisdiction, depending on the size of the jurisdiction. Jurisdictions with 1,000 registered voters or fewer require 30%, and jurisdictions with 100,000 or more registered voters require 10%. Charter cities can also set their own signature threshold. The amount of time allowed for the circulation of recall petitions also varies by the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction, between 40 and 160 days. Jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 registered voters allow 40 days, and jurisdictions with more than 50,000 registered voters allow 160 days.[6]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- San Mateo County, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- Sheriff recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
- San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 KQED, "San Mateo County Board Asks Voters for Authority to Remove Sheriff Christina Corpus", December 3, 2024
- ↑ FOX KTVU, "Sheriff Corpus' high-profile legal team unsuccessful in blocking removal", August 13, 2025
- ↑ KRON4, "Measure that could see San Mateo County sheriff ousted passes by ‘overwhelming majority’", March 5, 2025
- ↑ KQED, "California Sheriffs Are Rarely Removed From Office. San Mateo Is Trying Anyway", December 15, 2024
- ↑ Palo Alto Daily Post, "Former Caltrain CEO leading recall of Sheriff Corpus", December 1, 2024
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Recall Procedures Guide 2023," accessed October 16, 2023
