Solano supervisors delay vote on sheriff’s contract for Vallejo amid new snags

FAIRFIELD — A vote by the Solano County Board of Supervisors to approve an $11.2 million contract for sheriff’s deputies to patrol Vallejo and bolster the beleaguered Vallejo Police Department was delayed on Tuesday amid concerns that the sheriff’s office would not be able to staff up or outfit its equipment in time for the Jan. 1 start date. 

The contract, approved by Vallejo’s City Council on June 17, would deploy 17 full-time sheriff’s office employees to patrol half the city daily from noon to midnight. Supporters, including Vallejo City Council members, the mayor, citizens who were victims of violence, and leaders of local civil liberty advocacy groups, said the temporary help is vital for a city overwhelmed by gun violence and 911 delays.

But last week the Solano County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the union that represents sheriff’s deputies, sent a letter of opposition to the Board of Supervisors stating that 90% of their force opposes the partnership.

New roadblocks were also revealed on Tuesday, including an order from the state Public Employees' Retirement System to terminate contracts with eight retired deputies who are currently working for the sheriff’s office and logistical issues getting squad cars ready by the operational start date of Jan. 1.

“There's a couple of other things that have just been thrown into the works,” Sheriff Tom Ferrara said Tuesday. “We received a memo from HR last week that they're wanting me to lose eight of my retired annuity deputy sheriffs.”

Ferrara and Solano Human Resources Director Niger Edwards revealed that CalPERS audited the sheriff’s office and told the county in May that eight annuitant deputies are in violation of the terms of their retirement. CalPERS is mandating the sheriff’s office terminate their contracts by July 1.

“If I lose those eight, now I’ve got to hire 25,” Ferrara said. “I’m not going to make it.”

“By the retired annuitant status, they are supposed to be here for a limited duration, and CalPERS has concluded that people who have been here for more than 3 years indicates a problem,” Edwards said.

The surprise announcement undercut a key provision of the contract: SB 1379, a state law passed last year to exempt Solano County deputies from standard CalPERS annuitant limits when working in Vallejo. Edwards said the law only waives the annual 960-hour cap, not the three-year service limit now enforced by CalPERS.

Supervisor Mitch Mashburn asked the sheriff if there were creative ways the issue could be resolved, including firing the annuitants and rehiring once the contract was established. 

“If we do not move forward with terminating the positions of the retired annuitants, what they'll be looking at is actually reversing those persons' retirement and requiring them to pay back all of the retirement that they received,” Edwards said. 

Supervisor Monica Brown, whose district includes Vallejo, suggested that the county call a state of emergency to begin negotiating with CalPERS and even asking for the governor to get involved. 

“We’ve got to figure out something,” Brown said. “We talk with all our lobbyists and we say, ‘You need to push this through,’ because we have a dire situation in Vallejo, and it’s not going to get any better.”

In addition to the difficulties with CalPERS, Ferrara said that he may not be able to buy and outfit sufficient squad cars in time.

“I need to buy the cars and get them outfitted, like, now,” Ferrara said. “I still have four or five cars sitting up on the fifth floor that we haven't gotten built. The process takes a long time. I'm very concerned, even at the six-month timeline, that we're not going to be able to get those vehicles done.”

Even if the contract was approved, Ferrara said that the sheriff's office would have a very hard time getting ready to serve Vallejo by Jan. 1 without intervention from the county.

“So what I would ask the board is, I need your help with some of this red tape that slows us down, because we need to move at the speed of lightning to get this done,” Ferrara said.

Vallejo city officials who spoke at the meeting said the delays could jeopardize public safety.

“We did everything you asked of us,” Councilmember Diosdado “JR” Matulac told the board. “We allocated $11.2 million. We got the legislation passed. We approved the contract. We’re asking you to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.”

The board also heard emotional public comment from Vallejo residents and civic leaders who described shootings, long emergency response times, and rising fear. Several pleaded with supervisors to act now.

“I'm here today as a mother of a 24-year-old son, who's been shot twice,” Vallejo resident Marissa Serafino said. “Since negotiations started, six of his friends have been shot or killed. I'm here as a mom, and I'm begging for you to approve this help.”

Some city officials expressed frustration that the sheriff’s office did not start the labor negotiations earlier.

“I'm frankly confused, you gave a deadline, we met it,” Councilmember Alexander Matias said. “Why do we need to have additional time to meet and confer with the DSA? We met with our unions, we know where they stand. You need to hold folks accountable in the way that we're holding our own staff accountable.”

“I think if there's one thing you've learned about the new leadership in Vallejo, it's that we're not playing around. We're moving stuff forward,” Mayor Andrea Sorce said. “If you can give us this resource, this is what it's gonna take to really drive the change in Vallejo.” 

The supervisors floated the idea of scheduling an emergency meeting in early July, though no formal date was set. The board is expected to revisit the contract at its July 22 meeting, if not prior — if labor negotiations and legal questions with CalPERS can be resolved in time.

“It's a heavy lift. But if everybody gets online, I'll do my best,” Ferrara said.