AG: Cal Fire, Yolo can handle Esparto fireworks case despite conflict concerns

California Attorney General Rob Bonta declined to take over the criminal investigation into the July 1 fireworks facility explosion in Esparto that killed seven people, citing no conflicts of interest in Yolo County that would require his office to prosecute the case.

In an Friday letter responding to Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chair Mary Vixie Sandy, the state Department of Justice said the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office could proceed without violating conflict-of-interest laws, despite concerns about ties between local law enforcement and those connected to the blast site.

“We have not identified any office-disabling conflict that would require the office to be recused,” Bonta’s letter stated, adding that “we have informed the District Attorney’s Office of our conclusion.”

The decision frustrated victims’ families and local officials, who had urged Bonta to take the lead.

“We have been trying to get answers for a month and we can’t get anywhere,” said Marisol Flores, whose sons Jesus Ramos, 18, and Jhony Ramos, 23, were killed in the explosion. “They are all going to cover for each other. We need someone truly independent to get answers and get justice for my sons.”

The supervisors’ July 18 request to Bonta followed revelations that the property was owned by Yolo County Sheriff’s Lt. Sam Machado. Machado and his wife, a civilian sheriff’s employee, were placed on administrative leave after the inferno that destroyed their home and several warehouses on the property at County Roads 23 and 86A. The compound housed Devastating Pyrotechnics, owned by Kenneth Chee of San Francisco, and BlackStar Fireworks, a company operated by Esparto Fire Protection District volunteer firefighter Craig Cutright, who is also on leave.

Recent Sacramento Bee reporting uncovered a close relationship between the companies and Esparto Fire Chief Curtis Lawrence. Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez, who employed the Machados, had formerly served as the fire chief of the neighboring Madison Fire Protection District. Machado had worked for Lopez at the fire department before moving to the Sheriff’s Office.

Lopez has since recused the Sheriff’s Office from the investigations into the incident, as has Lawrence.

Questions over conflicts have surfaced in related court proceedings.

Earlier this month, Yolo County judge stepped aside from presiding over a civil lawsuit tied to the Esparto explosions. The suit, filed by Etta James Farming, accuses Devastating, BlackStar and the Machados of neglecting safety protocols and permitting requirements, leading to the July 1 inferno.

Yolo Superior Judge Samuel T. McAdam removed himself from the case Aug. 1, two days after the farm company’s attorney requested reassignment, saying his client could not have “a fair and impartial hearing or trial” before the judge. McAdam, who has been on the bench since 2008 and currently supervises the court’s civil division, was replaced by Judge Timothy Fall.

The Esparto Fire Protection District and the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office recused themselves from the probe shortly after the blast. Cal Fire’s Office of the State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation, with assistance from Cal-OSHA.

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said he had pressed the DOJ to take over, citing both the public perception of conflicts and the heavy demands on his office, which handles 6,000 to 7,000 cases a year.

“I will do my job. We will do the best job we can,” Reisig said. “But I just think that AG Bonta should have taken the case. I still think he should take the case.”

Reisig added, “This is just a tragic and unusual case. Seven people are dead. The explosion took place at a deputy sheriff’s property. People are just suspicious. It looks weird to people. There is a perception of conflict of interest.”

Jonathan Raven, who served as Yolo County’s chief deputy district attorney for 24 years and now leads the California District Attorneys Association, said Bonta’s decision reflects a shift in how the Department of Justice handles conflict-of-interest cases.

That change came under Kamala Harris when she was attorney general from 2011 to 2016, Raven said.

“Prior to Kamala Harris’ tenure, the DOJ was doing a decent — not a lot, but a decent amount — of criminal trials. They had a trial team that was busy,” he said. “When Kamala came in, she changed the policy. The shift in policy was: we are only taking real conflicts, and not perceived conflicts.”

Mary-Beth Moylan, a professor and ethics expert at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Oak Park, said Bonta’s decision was within the discretion of his office.

“He may have looked at this and said, ‘This is a resources issue, not an ethics question. They are arguing that they are cash-strapped. But we have limited resources, too,” said Moylan, who said other factors may have played into the decision, including the attorney general’s stream of lawsuits against the Trump administration and the latest saga over redistricting.

Teresa Wassman, a former Cal/OSHA Bureau of Investigations supervising investigator, called the case “a messy situation” given the complex ties between the properties and the fireworks businesses. She said Bonta’s refusal to take over could harm Cal/OSHA’s separate investigation, which may recommend felony labor code prosecutions.

“It’s so complicated, two fireworks companies at the same location. All operating on the property of a deputy sheriff. A strong possibility, I believe, is that this was complicated by design,” she said, having followed the developments closely. “There are likely connections that have not been revealed as yet.”

Bonta’s office said it remains ready to assist Cal Fire and the Office of the State Fire Marshal “if it so requests in the future.”

“We understand that Cal Fire — not the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office — is currently leading the investigation of this incident,” wrote Jamal Anderson, special assistant attorney general on behalf of Bonta. “We are confident Cal Fire is able to conduct a complete, thorough and unbiased investigation.”

Syanna Ruiz, the pregnant girlfriend of Jesus Ramos, said she wants accountability.

“What’s in the dark needs to come to light, and getting justice should be the only thing behind decisions like this,” she said.

This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 11:01 AM.