Board delays final decision on Vallejo police services contract; labor group seeks clearer staffing guarantees

The Solano County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday continued consideration of a proposed contract to provide temporary law‑enforcement assistance to the city of Vallejo, giving county negotiators and the Deputy Sheriffs Association more time to resolve outstanding labor and staffing issues.

Vallejo officials told the board the contract is important to help the city restore service levels. Jason Ackley, assistant to Vallejo’s city manager, said the arrangement allows leadership to “continue to make progress while providing a level of service that will make a difference in people’s lives.”

Ryan Wallace, president of the Solano County Deputy Sheriffs Association, told supervisors that patrol staffing in the sheriff’s office is frequently at critically low levels and that the union needs a clear, defined minimum staffing standard before committing to a large contract. He also urged tightened limits on the proposed use of retired annuitants; the association said the county’s current draft expands retired‑annuitant use beyond court staffing and could undermine job security for active deputies.

Sheriff Tom Farrar and undersheriff Brad DeWalt updated supervisors on negotiations; staff told the board they have exchanged memorandum‑of‑understanding drafts with the association and expected further meetings. After public comment, supervisors voted to continue the item to the Aug. 26 meeting to allow meet‑and‑confer work to continue.

Ending: The board continued the Vallejo contract item and asked staff and negotiators to keep meeting with the Deputy Sheriffs Association to address minimum‑staffing language and retired‑annuitant deployment terms; the item will return for further consideration on Aug. 26.