The Vallejo City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to adopt a resolution approving a one-year agreement with the Solano County Sheriff’s Office to provide municipal law-enforcement services in four of the city’s eight patrol beats from noon to midnight, seven days a week, beginning Jan. 1, 2026, if the county signs and implements the agreement.

City Manager Murray told the council the estimated one-year cost is $11.2 million, including roughly $5.8 million for personnel, $1.3 million for vehicles, $1.9 million for insurance and liability, $1.7 million in administrative overhead and $400,000 for services and supplies. Murray said the contract is drafted as an actual-cost reimbursement (time-and-materials) agreement and does not include a single not-to-exceed cap.

The contract would place Solano County personnel in beats 1–4 and assign 17 full-time personnel: 12 deputies, two supervisors, one lieutenant and two dispatchers. The county would not perform specialized criminal or traffic-collision investigations. The draft agreement runs Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2026; either party may terminate with 90 days’ notice.

Why it matters: Vallejo has been operating under a declared public-safety staffing emergency since 2023, and the city’s sworn police ranks fell sharply between 2021 and 2023. City staff said the department had 67 officers at its low point in March 2023 (36 on patrol), and “as of June 2025” had 82 total officers, recruiting about seven officers per year. The chief of police and several council members said the contract would reduce response times substantially in the beats the sheriff would staff and provide additional visible patrol presence while the city increases recruitment and retention.

City staff described several operational and legal caveats in the current draft. The city would indemnify the county for many actions by deputies under the present language, and staff warned there is uncertainty about total indemnity-related costs. The contract as drafted gives the county the authority to select personnel for the assignment; the city may meet and confer with the county if it has concerns about specific assigned personnel but would not have input over initial assignments. The county would generally dispatch its deputies and maintain records for incidents handled by the county personnel, though city staff said Vallejo believes it would be more efficient for the city to perform dispatch and records functions and hopes to negotiate that detail before implementation.

Risk and insurance: Risk Manager Arman Sarkis said the city’s excess insurance carrier provided written confirmation that it would cover claims arising from county personnel in the same way the carrier covers claims against city officers, but he cautioned there are policy exclusions (for example, certain injunctions) where the county would not receive coverage and the city would be responsible for defense and costs. Sarkis said because the city’s deductible is $2,000,000, the city would bear defense costs below that deductible level if claims fall into uncovered categories.

Labor, settlement and other constraints: Murray said the city engaged its bargaining units where appropriate and has been meeting and conferring about operational impacts. He said the city consulted the California Department of Justice (Cal DOJ) about the proposal and that Cal DOJ “does not object” to the agreement in the draft presented. Murray also noted recent state legislation affecting retired annuitants gave the sheriff’s office temporary flexibility to use retired personnel in some jurisdictions; that change affected county interest in this arrangement.

Public comment and council debate: Three online speakers addressed the council. Ann C. said the contract’s late start date and one-year term concerned her and asked whether the city could pull the start date earlier or extend the term; she also criticized the time-and-materials format and urged improvements to dispatch facilities. A caller identified as "PBB" warned the county deputy association opposed the deal and said the contract could cost the city while services are delayed if labor objections prevented deputies from being assigned quickly. Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James, representing the First District, urged approval and described recent shootings in her neighborhood; she said the county must support Vallejo’s safety and called for action.

Chief of Police Jason Todd told the council the agreement would materially improve response times in the beats the county staffs, particularly for priority calls; in May, Todd said, Vallejo’s average response time to priority-1 calls was about 7.1 minutes, priority-2 calls averaged 2.89 hours and priority-3 calls averaged 5.12 hours. Todd said the county-provided deputies would let the department reduce burnout and improve proactive policing while recruitment continues, and he said mutual-aid and operational details could be worked through with the sheriff.

Council members who spoke said the contract carries financial and operational risks but expressed support as a temporary measure to address long-standing response-time and staffing gaps. Mayor Soress said the city would continue prevention and reform work and described the agreement as one element of a broader public-safety strategy. Council members emphasized that if services are not provided, the city would not be billed for them, and that both Vallejo approval and subsequent county-board approval are required before deputies appear on Vallejo streets.

Vote and next steps: The council adopted the resolution approving the agreement and authorizing the city manager to execute it; the motion passed unanimously. The agreement now goes to the Solano County Board of Supervisors for consideration; county staff set an internal deadline (reported in staff materials) of June 24 for the board to receive an agreement approved by Vallejo.

Sources: City staff presentation; statements by City Manager Murray, Chief Jason Todd and Risk Manager Arman Sarkis; public comments by Ann C., a caller identified as "PBB," and Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James; council discussion and vote recorded on the Vallejo City Council special-meeting transcript.