Sacramento leaders hush on public safety watchdog director’s sudden departure
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- City Council will appoint an interim director to OSPA in a closed session.
- Director LaTesha Watson departed abruptly; council cites personnel matter.
- City leadership shifts include new city manager and city attorney departures.
In an abrupt change of city leadership, Sacramento will appoint a new director to run its Office of Public Safety and Accountability — the oversight body charged with investigating community complaints against the Police and Fire Department.
LaTesha Watson, who had led the office since 2020, unexpectedly left the position this week, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak. The City Council will appoint an interim director during a closed session meeting Tuesday afternoon, according to the agenda.
The reason for Watson’s departure remains unclear, though the position is directly under the control and supervision of the City Council. Watson could not immediately be reached for comment.
Council members, including Mayor Kevin McCarty, Lisa Kaplan, Roger Dickinson and Caity Maple, declined to respond to questions about the departure on Friday, citing a “personnel matter.” The other five council members did not respond to a request for comment.
“This is a city personnel matter and thus no council member can comment otherwise we open ourselves and the city to personal liability,” Kaplan said in a written statement.
Watson came to the job in June 2020 with decades of experience as a sworn officer and police chief. Before arriving in the capital region, Watson was the first Black woman to be the Henderson, Nevada police chief. She was fired from that role “in part for creating distrust and division between management and unions,” according to reporting from The Las Vegas Review Journal.
The city created OSPA in 1999 to monitor the investigation of community complaints against the Sacramento Police Department. In 2004, the office’s responsibilities were extended to include the Sacramento Fire Department. OPSA operates apart from the two departments to ensure that internally-led investigations are fair.
Watson’s departure is the latest change in the city’s leadership. The director of OPSA is on the same operational level as the city manager and other top level positions, per the city’s organizational chart.
Last month, the city announced its new City Manager, Maraskeshia Smith, who will begin in January. Former City Manager Howard left the position last year after a tumultuous final year marked with controversy over his pay and decisionmaking.
Sacramento will also be losing its City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood, who has held the position since 2018. She will take over the city of San Jose’s top legal position in November.
Gustavo Martinez, who joined the city in 1997, will be the interim city attorney.
The city held a special presentation at a Sept. 16 council meeting during which each council member spent time honoring Wood’s time with the city.
This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 3:25 PM.
