Hours after voting to remove embattled Sheriff Christina Corpus from office, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors used Tuesday’s budget hearings to scrutinize her department’s spending and procurement practices.

Concerns were specifically raised regarding a conference room table exceeding $74,000, a $600,000 “TV,” and an effort to acquire 10 massage chairs, with only two approved.

Corpus appeared before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in her capacity as a department head, as the county reviewed its proposed $4.9 billion budget, which was approved Wednesday. The Sheriff’s Office has 825 staff members, including deputies and administrative personnel. The department’s preliminary recommended budget for fiscal year 2026-27 was $334.4 million, up from $332.7 million in fiscal year 2025-26.

In addition to court assistance and jail management, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department, which serves a population of 725,000, provides law enforcement to the county’s unincorporated areas and towns, and holds contracts with cities like San Carlos.

Corpus has been the subject of a political battle to remove her over allegations of corruption and misconduct within the sheriff’s office, accusations she continues to deny.

While supervisors did not address issues related to her removal during the budget hearing, they did scrutinize previous purchases and highlighted the importance of financial prudence, as the county faces uncertainties over possible loss of funding sources from state and federal budget cuts.

On spending, Corpus said the department is “looking at different ways of cutting” its budget.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Supervisor Jackie Speier again questioned the attempted purchase of 10 massage chairs for an “employee” wellness program. Of those 10, only two were ultimately approved. According to a previous statement from the sheriff, the chairs cost $6,670 each.

Corpus explained that the request for massage chairs did not go through her, but through a procurement software called ServiceNow.

“It went through ServiceNow, and we had acquired two, and I said that we would not be getting any more,” Corpus said. “So the way that the ServiceNow system works, it did not come to me. In fact, it was our HR director who pushed that request through.”

Regarding the $600,000 TV for the now-scrapped secondary county Emergency Operations Center project, which was planned during the administration of former Sheriff Carlos Bolanos, Corpus explained it was actually a screen that was supposed to be used by the center.

“I did not move forward with that request because of the concerns and obviously because we have an EOC and we’re saving money,” Corpus said. “So I pulled that request.”

Also reported earlier this year was the purchase of a table that cost at least $74,000. Corpus justified the purchase due to the size of the sheriff’s department and tech enhancements of the table.

“The conference room is pretty significant in size. And when we have had command staff meetings or all hands on deck meetings, we have a lot of people in that room,” Corpus said. “And to have a small table really doesn’t work for an organization our size.”

Corpus explained there are “network capabilities within the table where you can hook up laptops or any type of electrical devices that you may need for a meeting.”

With regards to her potential removal, Corpus has five days from Tuesday to appeal, which would trigger a formal removal hearing. Her legal team has also vowed to fight her removal in court.