Sheriff is coming to town: Solano County approves Vallejo policing contract

FAIRFIELD – After months of delays, the Solano County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an amended contract on Tuesday that will allow deputies from the Solano County Sheriff’s office to aid in Vallejo policing operations beginning Jan.1. 

The new agreement cuts the number of deputies and their work hours by more than half until the sheriff’s office is able to meet the contract’s staffing needs.

The city of Vallejo approved an $11 million contract in June to have 17 full-time deputies police half of Vallejo beats in order to provide additional policing support for the understaffed Vallejo Police Department. The agreement stalled for months at the county level because of staffing concerns from the Deputy Sheriffs Association, which opposed the contract.

In a June letter from the DSA, it said it was concerned that the deal would lead to “significant forced overtime and diminished morale among DSA members.”

That impasse was resolved in a side letter agreement that will reduce the number of deputies policing Vallejo to seven. Instead of working the entire week from noon to midnight, they will work 10 hour shifts four days a week, Wednesday to Saturday. The deputies will be aiding in three city beats in South Vallejo.

The side letter says “that the current staffing level in the Sheriff’s Office is not sufficient to support” the original planned support. 

However, “the Sheriff’s Office intends to bolster staffing pursuant to the City Contract,” the side letter states. A state bill passed last year allows the sheriff’s office to re-hire retired deputies in order to provide policing support in Vallejo.

Undersheriff Bradley DeWall, who will be replacing Sheriff Thomas Ferrara after he retires on Sept. 25, gave a short presentation at Tuesday’s meeting recapping the last steps finalizing the agreement.

“Our last outstanding item, which we were meeting with the DSA to try to come to an agreement on the side letter, which we achieved,” DeWall said. “That was the last step in the last piece that we needed.”

Vallejo mayor Andrea Sorce and councilwoman Tonya Lediju spoke at Tuesday’s meeting and were thankful to the board and sheriff’s office for moving the contract along. 

“I wanted to again express my support for this agreement, my gratitude to everybody that has made it happen. We've been at this now for, I think, eight months total,” Sorce said. “It's been a long time coming, but it's going to have an immeasurable impact on the residents of Vallejo.”

But Supervisor Cassandra James, who represents Vallejo, stressed in a statement that this is intended to be a temporary measure while the Vallejo Police Department rebuilds its depleted staff.

"We must ensure that the sheriff's department is fully prepared to begin this critical support role by January 1, 2026," she wrote. "At the same time, we must hold the Vallejo Police Department accountable for using this period to recruit, retain and rebuild its force – a force that both the city of Vallejo and Solano County deserve."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Supervisor Cassandra James.