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

San Mateo County Executive Mike Callagy was cleared of charges that he interfered with Sheriff Christina Corpus authority and engaged in discriminatory or inappropriate conduct according to an independent investigative record ordered by the county that was distributed Thursday The inquiry led by Christina Ro-Connolly of Oakland-based Oppenheimer Investigations concluded that most of of the contends brought forward by Corpus were not substantiated These included statements 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 review was made inhabitants 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 several amendments The complaint that led to the examination was filed by Corpus last September In a news conference at the time she accused Callagy of engaging in serious political dirty dealings and mentioned the population deserved transparency Despite the findings Corpus stood by her alleges While I am not surprised by the outcome of another research commissioned by the same parties trying to remove me from office I stand by my assertions and concerns regarding Mr Callagy interfering with my authority to run the San Mateo County Sheriff s Office as the elected Sheriff she stated 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 majority of of the alleges 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 scrutiny into Corpus led by retired Judge LaDoris Cordell Callagy acknowledged his involvement citing concerns over expected legal liability stemming from Monaghan s up-to-date participation in a separate study 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 states of discrimination were not supported by evidence the investigator unveiled The assessment noted that she did not provide a factual basis for alleging that Callagy treated her differently because she is Latina Spectators interviewed during the review did not overview observing discriminatory conduct and specific individuals of similar backgrounds described positive working relationships with Callagy The inspection marks the latest advance in a months-long power struggle between Corpus and county leadership The tension intensified last November when a -page assessment by Cordell accused Corpus of misconduct corruption and workplace bullying Corpus has denied the accusations and criticized the account s reliance on anonymous sources and unrecorded interviews The growing dispute 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 study and commissioned a separate review by retired Riverside County Superior Court Judge Burke E Strunsky In his analysis Strunsky criticized the Cordell account 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 claims 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 disclosed at Tuesday s board meeting I believe it is practicable 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