Yolo County DA Jeff Reisig announces he will retire later this month
When Jeff Reisig first joined the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office in the late 1990s, his office was in the county’s former jail in an area where inmate cells once were located.
His office looks a little different now, as he worked his way up through the department, with voters eventually electing him district attorney in 2006, a role he will soon depart.
Reisig informed the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in a letter Tuesday that he plans to retire as district attorney after nearly 20 years effective May 15. The departure was first reported Wednesday morning by the Davis Vanguard.
His career had many milestones, from advocating for Proposition 36 to bringing forth what’s considered by some lawyers as the county’s most complex criminal case in history, stemming from the Esparto fireworks explosion that killed seven people on July 1.
“He really turned that case around in terms of putting a great team together, doing the important investigation and revealing the case to file those indictments,” said Jonathan Raven, who served as Reisig’s chief deputy until stepping down about two years ago.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Melinda Aiello will lead the department through the remainder of the term, which ends in January 2029. She was tapped by Reisig, who was president of the California District Attorneys Association from 2021 to 2022, to oversee the Esparto case.
Other major cases handled by Reisig included the killing of Yolo County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tony Diaz, the case of convicted murderer Daniel Marsh and the Carlos Reales Dominguez case stemming from the 2023 series of stabbings in Davis. Dominguez will face a new jury later this month after the first trial ended in deadlock.
Reisig’s career extended beyond the courtroom, former Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said, calling him a “bulldog” who doesn’t give up.
Schubert and Reisig worked alongside California District Attorneys Association Chief Executive Officer Greg Totten to bring forth Prop. 36, which toughened penalties for repeat theft and hard drug offenses while enhancing treatment options.
“He was very passionate about the importance of getting treatment for people that have addiction issues, but also addressing the retail and theft issues,” Schubert said.
Bringing together a measure like Proposition 36 is similar to campaigning for office, Schubert said, as fundraising is a large component. She said Reisig’s “bulldog” nature came out when fundraising as he remained persistent.
“He went to conferences, and he had the guts to walk up to people he doesn’t even know and say, ‘We need your help in California. It’s impacting your business community,’” Schubert said. “He made contact with people we don’t normally have relationships with. He just never gave up.”
While under Reisig, the DA’s Office was the first in California to use a “race-blind” system when deciding whether to file charges.
The program, implemented in 2021, didn’t list the names of the potential defendants or victims. It also didn’t give the location.
“The moment these police reports hit our office, we are making charging decisions without any information at all about the race of the individuals involved, and the idea is we want to eliminate any effects of implicit bias or explicit bias and just make a clean decision,” Reisig said at the time.
Amid his departure, Reisig said he is proud of the team he has worked with.
“I am grateful for the opportunity I have had and proud of the highly competent and dedicated team that remains,” he wrote in his letter to supervisors.
Reisig, a graduate of UC Davis and the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Oak Park, said he plans to spend time with his family in retirement.
“A few individuals had significant caseloads and were facing challenges with family members and personal issues, and even though having them take time off would create challenges for the office, he would always tell them, ‘You need to take care of your family and take time off, and we’ll handle your caseload,’” Raven said.
This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 9:02 AM.
