Sheriff Barnes shared that the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) will slowly absorb the staff currently assigned to the City of Live Oak. Courtesy photo

 

LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) – Sutter County Sheriff Brandon Barnes addressed concerned citizens at a Live Oak Town Hall held the evening of Dec. 1 regarding the City of Live Oaks decision to discontinue their public safety contract with the department.

On Oct. 1, Live Oak City Council voted to discontinue services with the Sutter County Sheriffs Department due to financial constraints. The current contract is set to end Nov. 2026.

Sheriff Barnes shared that the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) will slowly absorb the staff currently assigned to the City of Live Oak and reallocate resources over the next year until the official end of the contractual agreement.

Sheriff Barnes expressed the desire to continue negotiations with the City of Live Oak in order to preserve necessary services, outlining the benefits of working with the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office, including access to investigative and SWAT teams, while remaining free from the cost burden of things such as basic equipment costs, evidence processing, HR and payroll services, etc.

The Sutter County Sheriff’s Office provides the city of Live Oak with seven deputies and one detective, which provide 24/7 services, with three officers on duty at any given hour.

Sheriff Barnes explained that a 2012 municipal services review in Los Angeles, using data from the US Department of Justice, determined that an ideal police staffing level is 2.6 officers for every 1,000 residents.  

Based on those standards, the city of Live Oak is understaffed at just seven deputies, which is what the contract allots for. Later studies put the number of deputies per resident even higher than 2.6.  Barnes expressed his belief that Live Oak would be better served with 14 deputies but based on his own department’s financial constraints and hiring abilities, that was not a possibility.

Currently, Live Oak calls for service equate to 25% of total calls coming through Sutter County Sheriff’s Office dispatch, states the Sheriff.

With the end of the contract looming, Sheriff Barnes explained by the California Constitution, Live Oak could form its own municipal police department or settle for extremely limited services from the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office which would include responses to priority one calls. He reminded the public of potentially long response times depending on where responders were located throughout the county at the time of the call.

Sutter County Interim Fire Chief for Live Oak Richard Epperson weighed in, highlighting their department’s contributions to community and public safety.  Chief Epperson shared statistics on Live Oak calls for service, with 1,500 calls in 2024 and a projected 1,600 calls for service in the year 2025.

Epperson shared that the department is discussing alternative staffing plans and revenue options to sustain services in Live Oak.

After the presentations by Sheriff Barnes and Chief Epperson, the discussion was opened to the public for further questions on the future of Live Oak services.

Newly appointed City Manager Ben Moody reaffirmed that “public safety is a top priority for the city,” but questioned, “how do we remain fiscally solvent and work through it?”

Moody emphasized the need for fiscal solutions to sustain public safety and recommended further discussion while stating that residents may see voter options coming forward through the county, city and Citizens Initiative that may be expensive or hard to stomach.

“It’s tough for people that are already financially strapped … that’s where it’s going to come down to a choice, to the residents, of what they’re willing to pay for and can afford, versus the services we can provide,” Moody said.

The City Manager encouraged continued exploration and discussion of possible revenue streams or initiatives to support the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office contract, with Sheriff Barnes and Chief Epperson in agreement that further collaboration hopes to yield a viable way forward.