Investigator clears San Mateo County executive of misconduct in sheriff’s complaint

San Mateo County Executive Mike Callagy was cleared of statements that he interfered with Sheriff Christina Corpus authority and engaged in discriminatory or inappropriate conduct according to an independent investigative overview ordered by the county that was distributed Thursday The scrutiny led by Christina Ro-Connolly of Oakland-based Oppenheimer Investigations concluded that the bulk of the asserts brought forward by Corpus were not substantiated These included assertions that Callagy questioned her about her romantic relationships negotiated overtime for sheriff s personnel without her input blocked personnel decisions and treated her differently based on her race ethnicity or gender The document was made citizens following a unanimous vote by the Board of Supervisors on Thursday In a brief declaration the county explained The Board now considers this matter closed Related Articles San Mateo County to require quarterly reports on big-ticket purchases Sheriff s union accuses San Mateo County of labor violations Former top sheriff s aide seeks million from San Mateo County over firing Search for missing -year-old Peninsula hiker is scaled back Procedures for Sheriff Corpus removal approved with particular amendments The complaint that led to the review was filed by Corpus last September In a news conference at the time she accused Callagy of engaging in serious political dirty dealings and announced the constituents deserved transparency Despite the findings Corpus stood by her indicates While I am not surprised by the outcome of another assessment commissioned by the same parties trying to remove me from office I stand by my charges and concerns regarding Mr Callagy interfering with my authority to run the San Mateo County Sheriff s Office as the elected Sheriff she reported in an email to this news organization Thursday I look forward to aggressively pursuing the same in the appropriate arena Independent investigative reports generally do not carry legal binding authority and do not definitively establish guilt or innocence in a court of law While greater part of the suggests were dismissed the scrutiny did substantiate one allegation that Callagy intervened to try to block the termination of Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan Monaghan was fired last year after cooperating with a leadership inspection into Corpus led by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell Callagy acknowledged his involvement citing concerns over foreseen legal liability stemming from Monaghan s latest participation in a separate assessment into internal workplace issues The investigator concluded that Callagy s rationale appeared plausible and reasonable particularly in light of the tense working relationship between the two administrators In contrast Corpus broader alleges of discrimination were not supported by evidence the investigator located The record noted that she did not provide a factual basis for alleging that Callagy treated her differently because she is Latina Spectators interviewed during the scrutiny did not record observing discriminatory conduct and several individuals of similar backgrounds described positive working relationships with Callagy The scrutiny marks the latest expansion in a months-long power struggle between Corpus and county leadership The tension intensified last November when a -page overview by Cordell accused Corpus of misconduct corruption and workplace bullying Corpus has denied the accusations and criticized the statement s reliance on anonymous sources and unrecorded interviews The growing debate led to a ballot measure aimed at holding elected sheriffs more accountable In March voters overwhelmingly approved Measure A which temporarily gives the Board of Supervisors the authority to remove a sheriff by a four-fifths vote The charter amendment took effect in April and earlier this month the board finalized procedures for initiating the removal process Functionaries estimate the process could take up to four months once it begins Corpus has pushed back on multiple fronts She has filed a lawsuit against the county seeking records related to the Cordell inspection and commissioned a separate review by retired Riverside County Superior Court Judge Burke E Strunsky In his analysis Strunsky criticized the Cordell summary s methodology calling it impossible to assess witness credibility due to the lack of recorded interviews The standoff has triggered multiple legal actions from both sides Last March Callagy filed a million claim against the county over the accusations made against him Supervisor Ray Mueller who has previously called for Corpus resignation expressed frustration that the process to consider her removal has yet to begin despite the Board approving procedures earlier this month I have been purposefully quiet since Measure A passed to avoid accusations of bias but this morning I feel compelled to speak Mueller explained at Tuesday s board meeting I believe it is realizable to be both time-efficient and fair Fairness doesn t just apply to the sheriff it applies to those who work in the sheriff s office and the residents of this county It s time for this board to move forward