Yolo County weighs fast-tracked process to replace longtime DA Jeff Reisig
Yolo County supervisors on Tuesday opted to pursue a fast-tracked public process to appoint a replacement for longtime District Attorney Jeff Reisig, who retired earlier this month after nearly 20 years leading the office.
The board directed county staff to recruit and screen candidates over the next several weeks, with finalists expected to interview publicly in late June. The appointment will determine who leads the office until voters elect a district attorney in November 2028.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Melinda Aiello, whom supervisors previously named interim district attorney, emerged as the leading candidate during Tuesday’s discussion, with several supervisors praising her experience and support within the office.
Supervisors ultimately rejected proposals for either an immediate appointment or a longer public vetting process that would have included community forums and additional outreach. Instead, the board settled on a shorter competitive process in which county staff will screen applicants and present finalists to supervisors for public interviews.
Those finalists will provide written responses to questions from supervisors, and the answers will be released publicly before the interviews.
California law requires county supervisors to appoint a replacement district attorney “within a reasonable time” but places few restrictions on how the process is handled. Yolo County voters will not get a say in the matter until the November 2028 election.
Reisig joined the office in the late 1990s and was first elected district attorney in 2006. His retirement came shortly after prosecutors secured indictments against eight people connected to the deadly fireworks explosion in Esparto, a case Reisig described as the most complex investigation in county history.
The ongoing Esparto prosecutions loomed heavily over Tuesday’s discussion. Reisig assigned Aiello to oversee the case before retiring, and several supervisors said continuity in the office was critical.
“The resignation of Jeff Reisig was a shock to the system,” Supervisor Mary Vixie Sandy said. Bringing in outside leadership could further disrupt the office, she said.
“I think that has the potential to seriously undermine the confidence of the team at the DA’s office,” Vixie Sandy said. The next district attorney must “be able to provide continuity and stability.”
Supervisor Oscar Villegas also opposed a broader public search, saying a prolonged process could damage morale and delay leadership decisions inside the office.
But Supervisors Angel Barajas, Sheila Allen and Lucas Frerichs said the public should have an opportunity to hear from multiple candidates before the board makes its appointment.
“I’m just a strong believer in the public appointment process,” Frerichs said.
Allen said she would support appointing Aiello based on conversations they had shared but argued residents also deserve an opportunity to evaluate candidates themselves.
Barajas proposed a slower process that would have included candidate forums and additional opportunities for community input.
“The public has to get to know her and she has to get to know the public,” Barajas said.
Other supervisors pushed back on the idea of turning the appointment into a lengthy political process.
“I don’t want this to become a circus,” Allen said, adding that public interviews before the board would provide sufficient transparency.
County staff said directly appointing Aiello would provide the quickest path forward and “support continuity of leadership, minimize operational disruption within the Office of the District Attorney, and allow for an expedited appointment given the essential functions of the office and the ongoing prosecution workload,” according to a staff report.
