Vallejo’s plan to spend $2M on police recruitment and retention bonuses draws outcry

VALLEJO — The Vallejo City Council approved $2 million for incentives to recruit and retain police officers on Tuesday amid renewed frustration with internal misconduct and concern over hiring officers rejected from other cities. 

The council voted 6-1 — with Mayor Andrea Sorce opposed — to amend the newly approved 2025-26 budget and spend $2 million on several incentives which the human resources department said will help bolster the ranks of the depleted police force. 

Human Resources Director Stephanie Sifuentes listed three primary components to the plan, including a $15,000 retention bonus for officers hired before July 23 to be disbursed in two payments. The city also plans to incentivize officers who help recruit candidates, offering $5,000 for each successful referral.

“The funds were rolled over from FY 22-23 for use in recruitment and retention efforts, such as our enhanced marketing campaign and the recruitment, retention, and referral incentives,” Sifuentes said in an email to Vallejo Sun.

The proposal, coming from negotiations with Vallejo Police Officers’ Association, also included launching social media campaigns to recruit new candidates. Deputy Chief Robert Knight suggested some additional “lateral” hiring incentives, such as improving department technology, virtual ride-alongs and loan programs. 

The proposal drew criticism from various public speakers as the Vallejo Police Department continues to face lawsuits and allegations of misconduct. But the councilmembers decided to move forward.

Councilmember Diosdado "J.R." Matulac said that dysfunction and lack of continuity have disrupted the negotiation process with VPOA in the past, and the new proposal represents the work of the union’s new board following the departure of former union President Michael Nichelini in April. 

“By saying no to this, what are we saying to those good officers who have been here five years or less?” he asked.

Councilmember Tonia Lediju said that she can’t in good conscience refuse to give incentives to the department to grow if she wants to see change from within it. 

“The city needs to pay homage to the pain it has caused,” Lediju said, but she said she believes that creating change also means “acknowledging” the work of officers who have been in the department for five years.

“We’re going to have to walk with a heart of forgiveness,” she said. “We must forgive so we can all go forward.”

Vice Mayor Peter Bregenzer agreed with using funds to try to get more officers, saying, “You can’t punish everybody for the few bad apples that are still in your group.”

Several public speakers said they’re frustrated with the police department’s years of misconduct allegations and that they have no confidence in the city’s ability to hire better officers or investigate itself. 

Several residents mentioned the city attorney’s reticence to hire an independent auditor, and others pointed out multiple corruption cases among police officers exposing the city to potential endless legal costs, including time card fraud and use of force cases. Resident Kris Kelley – whose brother Mario Romero was killed by Vallejo police in 2012 – said there is no proof that bonuses will improve retention since those bonuses don’t contain any obligations. 

Some speakers also referenced Vallejo Sun reporting on police Corporal Colin Eaton, pointing to how Eaton, one of six officers who killed Willie McCoy in 2019, was hired in 2017 after three previous law enforcement agencies disqualified him, according to a background investigator’s report.

“Read the Vallejo Sun today,” resident Diana Lang said. “Ask why the city attorney is doing everything in her power to block any real outside independent investigation. Vallejo PD is poison for new recruits who want to do right, make a difference. Instead it’s been stuck with crappy candidates that were rejected from other jurisdictions. That is why cops leave. That is why there’s low morale.”

“Flush the VPOA. This system is sick,” she added.

Resident John Lewis said he’s been a member of the Police Accountability and Oversight Commission for two years but their work has barely started, despite it being a required reform under a settlement agreement with the state Department of Justice.

He said agendas are prepared without input from commission members, that they’ve been unable to select a chairperson, there’s no system for the public to contact them about any concerns and the city attorney won’t let them meet without VPOA approval, which Lewis said he’s contested without a written response. 

“I don’t see any indication that the city has any desire to have a functioning police oversight commission,” he said. “Establishing an oversight commission is one of the reforms mandated by the state attorney general, and I don’t think just selecting members fulfills the requirement. What will it take? Are we going to wait for the next incident when anger and frustration boils over into the streets?”

Councilmember Charles Palmares said he doesn’t think the city has been doing a good job explaining what reform should look like and having robust conversations about ongoing reform processes. He asked if city staff could assign someone to explain reform processes and how those impact the community. 

City Manager Andrew Murray said the state Department of Justice’s reform tracking dashboard, soon to be published, could help with that process.

Later in the evening, the council also unanimously approved amending the 2025-26 budget to use $1.15 million for multiple public safety measures discussed last week. 

City staff recommended spending up to $500,000 on five mobile surveillance towers plus additional funds to re-establish the Safe Start to School Programs at four public schools, support safe block parties and a scholarship program to subsidize children participating in year-round Greater Vallejo Recreation District programs. 

The city also looked for up to $300,000 to support VISION, a violence intervention and support program in local neighborhoods which involves officers who identify community problems, from drug crime to quality of life issues, to connect residents with local services and carry out “crime suppression techniques.”

Lediju – who last week asked staff for up to $300,000 for the scholarship program and another $300,000 for VISION support – asked if the city could adjust some of the totals for each program to hopefully come from one-time funding sources, given Vallejo’s budget challenges.

“My goal wasn’t to take it out of the general fund,” she said. 

The council will return July 22 for a revision and a final budget amendment vote.