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Solano supervisors appoint under sheriff to finish sheriff’s term after debate over open recruitment
Summary
After tributes to retiring Sheriff Tom Ferrara, the board voted 3‑2 to appoint the under sheriff (transcript spelling varies) to serve the remainder of the unexpired sheriff's term; public commenters urged an open recruitment and criticized the closed appointment process.
The Solano County Board of Supervisors recognized retiring Sheriff Tom Ferrara and then voted to appoint the county’s under sheriff to serve the remainder of Ferrara’s unexpired term. The decision followed public comment urging an open recruitment and an extended discussion among supervisors about fairness and succession policy.
Staff presented the options for filling the vacancy and recommended appointing the current under sheriff, noting his 30‑plus year career and operational experience. Alan Calder (planning manager/staff) explained that the under sheriff has covered multiple components of department operations and that the board could appoint the under sheriff for continuity through the remainder of the term.
Multiple residents urged the board to hold an open recruitment or a public selection process. Dr. Joshua Patzer said, “This will be the 3rd consecutive time our county has a sheriff step down midterm, and he hands it off to his heir apparent without the input of the people of the county,” and called for transparency and community forums. Jeremy Patzer and other commenters echoed that the public should have a chance to weigh in.
Board debate focused on legal constraints and precedent. One board member clarified that state law does not allow a mid‑cycle election, and that the two legal options are appointment or for the under sheriff to assume the office by operation of law. Supervisor Williams acknowledged the under sheriff’s qualifications but said she wanted a transparent process and suggested a public interview model she had observed with another county office. Supervisor Vasquez moved to appoint the under sheriff to serve the remaining term; the motion carried 3‑2, with Supervisors James and Williams voting no.
The board recorded the appointment result on the record and announced, "Congratulations to under sheriff [transcript shows multiple spellings; staff recommended 'Brad DeWalt'] who’s now appointed to sheriff." The transcript contains inconsistent spellings of the appointee’s name (examples include DeWalt, Duwal, Duvall); the staff briefing and public comments most frequently referenced "Brad DeWalt" or the under sheriff by role.
The board also directed staff to consider developing clearer policies for how to handle elected‑office vacancies in the future so the public and staff alike better understand the process for midterm successions.
