The Abridged version:
- Yolo County supervisors extended the search for an attorney to finish the term vacated by former District Attorney Jeff Reisig to include candidates outside the district attorney’s office.
- Reisig retired with short notice in early May, not long after announcing indictments and arrests connected to the fireworks blasts in Esparto.
- Yolo County residents licensed to practice law in California are eligible to apply for the vacated term, which runs through 2028.
Yolo County supervisors have broadened their search to replace former District Attorney Jeff Reisig, who gave a brief notice before retiring earlier this month.
Supervisors on Tuesday chose to publicly consider multiple candidates instead of appointing acting District Attorney Melinda Aiello to complete Reisig’s term, which runs through 2028.
Aiello will remain in the running for the job, but not without some competition.
“We have to gain the confidence of the public in our deliberations as well,” Supervisor Angel Barajas said.
The decision sets in motion a nearly monthlong process during which county staff will screen candidates and choose three from whom supervisors will choose.
“I am a strong believer in the public appointment process,” Supervisor Lucas Frerichs said.
Mixed feelings
Reisig gave his two-week notice in early-May, ending a tenure that began in 2007 in the middle of a term. The move came less than a month after his office announced sweeping indictments related to last summer’s deadly fireworks blasts in Esparto.
“This is a shock to the system right now at a time when we have a significant amount of work on the docket, not least of which is the Esparto explosion,” Supervisor Mary Vixie Sandy said.
Vixie Sandy and Supervisor Oscar Villegas argued that stability and continuity in the district attorney’s office are paramount. For that reason, they both expressed a preference for appointing Aiello and avoiding major changes that could hinder staff.
“I think that has the potential to seriously undermine the confidence of the team over at the district attorney’s office,” Vixie Sandy said.
Barajas, Frerichs and Supervisor Lisa Allen stressed that a public process would signal a desire to be transparent and accountable.
“I think we have to have an opportunity to have a public discussion about it for the remainder of the term,” Allen said.
Who’s eligible?
In the end, supervisors agreed to move ahead with the monthlong process. The eligibility requirements for district attorney applicants are that the individual lives in Yolo County and is a member of the State Bar of California.
By June 23, county staff will narrow the list down to three for consideration by supervisors.
“I don’t think any of us want this to be a circus or a dog and pony show,” county counsel Phil Pogledich said.
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.