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Receive an update on the Sheriff Office’s ability to provide temporary law enforcement assistance to the City of Vallejo; and Provide direction on a proposed contract for services
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Published Notice Required? Yes_______ No ___X____
Public Hearing Required? Yes _ No ___X____
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Sheriff recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Receive an update on the Sheriff Office’s ability to provide temporary law enforcement assistance to the City of Vallejo; and
2. Provide direction on a proposed contract for services.
SUMMARY:
On May 6, 2025, the Sheriff’s Office (Sheriff) provided the Board of Supervisors (Board) with an informational presentation on the Sheriff’s ability to provide temporary law enforcement assistance to the City of Vallejo and requested direction on whether to proceed with contract discussions to provide such services. The Board directed the Sheriff to proceed with contract negotiations with the City of Vallejo (Vallejo) based on a term sheet previously provided (Attachment A), and subject to the following three conditions being met:
• Approval of the contract by both Vallejo and the Board by July 1, 2025.
• Written confirmation from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) that the Sheriff will not be subject to the existing settlement agreement between the DOJ, Vallejo, and the Vallejo Police Department (VPD).
• The County must meet and confer with the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (DSA) regarding the proposed contract.
Only two of the three conditions have been met. First, Vallejo approved the contract on June 17, 2025. Second, on June 16, 2025, the DOJ confirmed in writing that its settlement agreement applies only to Vallejo and VPD - not to the Sheriff.
However, on June 17, 2025, the DSA submitted a letter of opposition (Attachment B) to the proposed contract, citing concerns related to staffing, service impacts, and effects on working conditions. This correspondence requires the County to engage in a good faith meet-and-confer process with the DSA prior to implementation of the contract. That process is not yet complete.
The Sheriff previously identified July 1, 2025 as the deadline to finalize the contract to allow sufficient time to recruit staff, procure equipment, and implement operational systems in advance of a January 4, 2026, service launch. This timeline is necessary to ensure the County can provide a full one-year term of service prior to the expiration of SB 1379 on January 1, 2027. Delays beyond July 1 may render the contract infeasible or significantly reduce the period of available service.
For these reasons, the Sheriff recommends that the Board not approve the proposed contract.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The Sheriff, County Counsel, and CAO’s Office have dedicated significant time and resources to develop the proposed service model, obtain the legislation necessary to backfill staff to provide services to Vallejo, and drafting and negotiating the contract.
Estimated costs and payments under the proposed contract include:
• Start-up costs: $1,439,695
• Liability, reserve, and insurance: $1,932,700
• Service cost (January 4, 2026 to January 2, 2027): $7,860,148
The Sheriff would invoice Vallejo monthly based on actual expenses incurred by the Sheriff in providing the services. All estimated costs and revenues would be recognized and appropriated by the Board at a future Board meeting and in FY2025/26 and FY2026/27 Sheriff’s Operating Budgets.
The cost associated with preparing the agenda item is nominal and absorbed by the department’s FY2024/25 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
In July 2023, the Vallejo City Council declared a local emergency due to a critical shortage of police personnel. Sworn staffing fell to unsustainable levels, severely affecting patrol coverage and response times. Vallejo formally requested assistance from the Sheriff’s Office in November 2023.
At that time, the Sheriff advised that insufficient staffing precluded immediate support. As a legislative solution, the Sheriff worked with Senator Bill Dodd to introduce Senate Bill (SB) 1379, which exempts up to 20 retired annuitants from the CalPERS 960-hour limit, enabling the Sheriff to backfill internal courtroom and dispatch functions and redeploy active personnel to support Vallejo. SB 1379 was signed into law in September 2024 and will sunset on January 1, 2027.
Shortly after the bill’s enactment, the Sheriff and the VPD developed a proposed service plan to provide temporary law enforcement assistance to Vallejo. The plan involves Sheriff’s Deputies providing patrol coverage for approximately half of Vallejo, from 12 p.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Staffing includes:
• 1.0 FTE Lieutenant - Sheriff
• 12.0 FTE Deputy Sheriffs
• 2.0 FTE Public Safety Dispatchers
• 2.0 FTE Limited-Term Sergeants - Sheriff
In December 2024, the Sheriff submitted a term sheet to Vallejo outlining the key terms and conditions necessary to proceed with a formal services contract, subject to approval by the Board. The term sheet addressed essential elements such as operational scope of services, staffing levels, insurance and liability provisions, and cost responsibilities. It also identified three critical preconditions for advancing to contract execution: (1) approval of a finalized agreement by July 1, 2025; (2) written confirmation from the DOJ that its settlement agreement with Vallejo would not apply to the Sheriff; and (3) agreement from the County’s applicable employee bargaining units.
On March 6, 2025, the Vallejo City Council received an update on VPD staffing levels and the Sheriff’s term sheet. Vallejo staff requested direction from the Council on the Sheriff’s proposed service model. Councilmembers submitted follow-up questions regarding the term sheet on March 21, 2025, to which the Sheriff responded on April 1, 2025. At its April 8, 2025 meeting, the City Council approved funding for a contract with the Sheriff and directed Vallejo staff to begin contract discussions. Subsequently, on May 6, 2025, the Board authorized the Sheriff to proceed with contract negotiations. On June 17, 2025, the Vallejo City Council approved the draft contract (Attachment C) which is now pending consideration by the Board.
On June 16, 2025, Solano County Counsel received an email from the DOJ stating that the only parties to the settlement agreement are the Attorney General, the City of Vallejo and the Vallejo Police Department - the Solano County Sheriff is not a party to the Agreement.
On June 17, 2025, the DSA submitted a letter to the Board formally opposing the proposed contract. In doing so, the DSA identified a range of potential impacts, thereby triggering the County’s obligation under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act to meet and confer in good faith with the DSA about those impacts. The County must continue its meet-and-confer process with the DSA to address these potential impacts.
However, in order for the Sheriff to have sufficient time to hire staff and procure equipment, while still being able to provide a one-year service contact to Vallejo prior to the sunset of SB 1379, a final contract would need to be executed by July 1, 2025.
While the City of Vallejo has approved the proposed contract and the Department of Justice has confirmed that its settlement agreement does not apply to the Sheriff’s Office, the County has not yet completed its legally required meet-and-confer process with the DSA. In addition, given the July 1, 2025 execution deadline identified by the Sheriff in order to allow sufficient time for hiring, training, and equipment procurement, any delay caused by ongoing labor negotiations could make it infeasible to fully implement the agreement before the sunset of SB 1379 on January 1, 2027.
For these reasons, the Sheriff recommends that the Board not approve the proposed contract.
ALTERNATIVES:
Alternatively, the Board could direct staff to continue the meet and confer process with the DSA in an effort to resolve the identified issues prior to the July 22, 2025 Board meeting. If a resolution is reached, the Sheriff could return at that time to request consideration and potential approval of the proposed contract.
This alternative is not recommended, as it would leave insufficient time to recruit staff, procure equipment, and implement the necessary infrastructure to begin services by January 4, 2026. Moreover, the DSA’s letter of opposition indicated that approximately 90% of its respondents opposes the agreement, raising substantial uncertainty about whether agreement could be reached within that limited time frame.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel and the County Administrator’s Office, in coordination with the Sheriff, participated in drafting and negotiating the contract.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION