San Mateo County Sheriff challenger hopes to make history

SAN MATEO COUNTY — With one day left before the June 7th primary, the race for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is heating up.

Incumbent Sheriff Carlos Bolanos is facing a challenge from within the ranks of his own command staff, Capt. Christina Corpus.

Capt. Corpus is trying to unseat Sheriff Bolanos and in the process become the first elected Latina Sheriff in California.

“I started as a correctional officer 21 years ago. And I’ve worked in every facet of my organization,” says Christina Corpus.

Corpus says the law enforcement industry has not always been welcoming to women. But she says her struggles early in her career has made her tough and determined to lead the agency.

“I care about the people of my organization and I care about the community members. And that’s why I’m running. We deserve better. We deserve a Sheriff who we can actually trust,” she said.

Sheriff Bolanos says he is proud of his track record of public safety and the programs he’s implemented in the jail to reduce repeat offenders. He says he’s disappointed that Corpus decided to run for office and question his administration when she had an opportunity to voice concerns from the inside.

“I recognize that a challenger has to say how terrible things are and how bad of a person I am. I recognize that. So, I don’t take it personally. In fact, I pay little attention to it,” the Sheriff said.

Both candidates now agree that the Sheriff’s Office should not work directly with federal immigration officials. But Sheriff Bolanos only stopped working with I.C.E. in November.

“After hearing from the community for three straight years, I cam to the conclusion that it was more important to maintain the trust of our immigrant community that I was trying to protect than to continue to cooperate with ICE,” Sheriff Bolanos said.