If Captain Christina Corpus wins the primary election this Tuesday, June 7, she will become the first female sheriff in San Mateo County, and the first Latina sheriff in all of California
by Araceli Martínez
If Captain Christina Corpus wins the primary election this Tuesday, June 7, she will become the first female sheriff in San Mateo County, and the first Latina Sheriff in all of California.“I want to be the people’s sheriff and be very close to them, knowing them because in San Mateo County they don’t know who the sheriff is,” says Christina in an interview with El Reportero, and campaigning to remove the current sheriff, her boss Carlos Bolaños.
At 51, she is the only candidate against Bolaños in the primary election. Whichever of the two wins more than 50 percent in the June election will not need to go to a runoff in the November election.
Christina began working in 1995 at the San Mateo District Attorney’s Office as a social worker.
In 2002 she was hired as a corrections officer by then-Sheriff Don Horsley; and she has a long career in the sheriff’s office as a lieutenant, commander, captain and currently she is the chief sheriff in the town of Millbrae.
She was born in the Bay Area, but lives in San Bruno. “My parents came as immigrants and sacrificed a lot to give us a better life. My dad is from Mexico and my mom from Nicaragua,” she says.
And she says that one of the reasons she wants to be a San Mateo County sheriff is because she wants to end their cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I have seen the destruction in families when their parents are deported. I know the case of a family whose father was deported to Tijuana. I have seen the suffering of his wife and his children, and the struggle to get back together.”
So one of her campaign pledges is to stop the San Mateo Sheriff’s cooperation with ICE.
“That was one of the reasons that motivated me to run as a candidate because I do not want this collaboration with migration to continue.”
As sheriff she would put an end to the many contracts that have been created that are not needed. “With that budget we can open more training programs like the ones we need to respond to mental health crises.”
However, she says that what she wants most is to be a bailiff who is out with the people, knowing her problems so that they trust the bailiffs and take advantage of her services.
Part of her desire to be a people’s sheriff is because her mother and her brothers live in San Mateo. “I want to make San Mateo a safer county.”
She commented that there are currently 100 openings, and sheriff’s deputies have been without a contract for 18 months. “For that reason, we currently only have 210 sheriff’s deputies.”
Christina ended the interview by asking Latinos to get out and vote on June 6. “Your vote for me counts to protect our families; and we can’t make changes if they don’t vote for me.”
And she reminded them that she is Latina. “Together we can make history and elect San Mateo County’s first female sheriff and California’s first Latina sheriff.”
Her priorities as San Mateo Sheriff include: improving relations with the immigrant community, supporting community policies, more mental health services, addressing excessive use of force and taser weapons; prioritize fairness and safety in concealed carry permits; and greater transparency.
A Bay Area native, Bolaños has worked in law enforcement for more than 40 years, beginning as a patrol officer with the Palo Alto Police Department in 1979.
Since then, he has worked as a detective, sergeant, lieutenant, police captain and police chief in Palo Alto, Salinas and Redwood City before becoming a deputy sheriff and then a San Mateo County sheriff in 2016.
At press time we were unable to reach Sheriff Bolaños for comments.
CONTACT:
Christina Corpus: christina@christinacorpus.com
Carlos Bolaños: bolanosforsheriff@gmail.com
