Concerned Citizen PRA Archive

Good afternoon,

My name is Leslie Schlag. I am an El Dorado County resident (District 3)
and a County employee of 21 years.

The Board is scheduled to consider appointing Undersheriff Eric Palmberg as
Sheriff on October 20, following Sheriff Jeff Leikauf’s announced
retirement. I am writing because the County produced plan for EDSO’s June
2026 California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA) event closely resembles
the 2019 Monterey County CSSA conference. The Monterey review addressed
deputies transporting conference attendees for shopping and other
activities, and the Monterey County Board of Supervisors later censured
Sheriff Steve Bernal for inappropriate County expenditures. The EDSO plan
assigns jet skis to accompany the Rum Runner cruise, a patrol boat with a
two-deputy crew on the lake, a plainclothes sergeant aboard the cruise, and
plainclothes deputies and a sergeant assigned to elected official's
spouses’ shopping. This resemblance raises serious questions about use of
County resources and the roles of Leikauf, Palmberg, and other senior
command staff. Palmberg is the person Leikauf recommends to lead the agency.

The appointment is being considered before the vacancy, while the County is
still producing CSSA event records. The County estimates completion by
November 20. I understand District 3 Supervisor Brian Veerkamp is expected
to be unavailable on October 20. The Board should explain how District 3
residents will have a voice in this decision. I ask the Board to postpone
the appointment until the relevant records are produced and reviewed, and
to ensure an inquiry examines what was planned, what happened, who approved
it, and each involved command member’s role.

The County produced the Incident Action Plan (IAP) through the Public
Records Act process. The IAP lists assignments; the supporting hours and
resources summary counts those planned assignments. Deployment,
timekeeping, payroll, and financial records are needed to show what
happened, actual hours and overtime, and the total cost.

The County’s IAP copy left one gate code visible. In my sharing copy, I
redacted that code on page 9 and added highlights on page 3 to identify
three spouse-related schedule entries of concern. Those are the only
changes I made to the original IAP pages.
What the event records show

The IAP assigns two EDSO jet skis to accompany the Rum Runner commercial
cruise. It separately assigns a patrol boat with two boat deputies on the
lake near Valhalla and identifies a marine unit nearby. A plainclothes
sergeant is assigned aboard the Rum Runner. The IAP also assigns
plainclothes deputies and a sergeant to provide security for spouses’
shopping.

The spouses and partners referenced in these assignments were the spouses
or partners of the sheriffs and Sheriff’s Office officials who attended the
conference, including those associated with Sheriff Leikauf and
Undersheriff Palmberg. The IAP does not name each person or identify which
official each accompanied. A conference email says transportation would be
provided for the spouse-only Rum Runner cruise, while the IAP describes the
cruise as within walking distance. The County should identify who was
included, whom each person accompanied, what transportation and security
were arranged, what actually occurred, and who approved the arrangements.

The Board and appropriate investigative authorities should determine:

- What specific threat assessment supported two jet skis accompanying
the Rum Runner, a patrol boat with a two-deputy crew on the lake, a
plainclothes sergeant aboard the cruise, and a security detail for spouses’
shopping?
- Who planned and approved these assignments? What did Leikauf,
Palmberg, and other command staff know, and when? Did any of them approve,
direct, change, object to, or document the plan?
- Were the Board of Supervisors, CAO, County Counsel, District Attorney,
County CFO, EDSO CFO, or Auditor-Controller informed about the event,
staffing, projected costs, and spouse transportation or security? When were
they informed, and what advice, approval, or objection was documented?
- Did the County CFO, EDSO CFO, Auditor-Controller, or other finance
staff question or try to stop any planned spending? Did any Board member,
CAO, County Counsel, District Attorney, or finance official attend the
event or any activity?
- Did any official receive a gift, door prize, donation, or other
benefit connected with the event? If so, what was received, from whom, and
was it reported? Should any such benefit affect that person’s participation
in a future review or decision?
- What records show which assignments occurred, who was transported,
actual hours, overtime, and total cost to the County?
- Will the Board ask the CAO and County Counsel to coordinate with the
records units to prioritize the pending CSSA requests and report what
remains outstanding and when it will be produced?

Passes, travel, and per diem

The records produced so far show a $200 spouse pass in an order associated
with Sheriff Leikauf and a $600 order associated with Undersheriff
Palmberg. The Palmberg order includes a $200 spouse pass and a separate
$400 law-enforcement pass. The records also include $200 reimbursement
entries and refer to a deposit. The underlying deposit record and a final
accounting have not been produced. The records should establish how the
pass charges, reimbursements, deposit, and final County cost were handled.
Monterey comparison and legal review

The Monterey County District Attorney issued an investigation report about
the 2019 conference. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors later
censured Sheriff Steve Bernal for allowing inappropriate County
expenditures at that conference. The Board’s censure agenda item and
resolution are here:
https://monterey.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?FullText=1&GUID=AC85EF35-3034-4FCE-8C36-EA9052E3A159&ID=4963060&Options=&Search=

The District Attorney’s report is here:
https://voicesofmontereybay.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/DA-rpt-conveniton.pdf

SB 2 had not been enacted at the time of the 2019 Monterey conference. It
was in effect by the time of the 2026 EDSO event. An independent inquiry
should determine whether evidence supports review under Penal Code section
13510.8 as to Leikauf, Palmberg, or any other involved peace officer in
senior command, assessing each person’s individual role and whether any
established unlawful conduct meets the statutory serious-misconduct
standard.

The inquiry should also determine whether the planning, approvals,
spending, timekeeping, and use of County staff, vehicles, or other
resources complied with County policies and EDSO Policy 340, Standards of
Conduct. The legal review should include Government Code section 8314,
California Constitution article XVI, section 6, Penal Code section 424,
applicable gift-disclosure rules, and the SB 2 certification standards. I
am asking for an investigation and legal assessment, not stating that a
violation has been established.
My public-records requests and their status

This is the status I have as of October 16, 2026:

- P009312-051926 — County handling and routing of complaints and related
HR records. Completed; records produced, with some withheld or redacted.
- P009313-051926 — EDSO complaint records. Combined with P009312;
completed.
- P009314-051926 — District Attorney complaint records. Combined with
P009312; completed.
- P009325-052026 — County whistleblower policies. Completed.
- P009497-062226 — CSSA event records. Records are being produced in
stages; estimated completion November 20, 2026.
- P009498-062226 — District Attorney whistleblower, conflict, and
complaint policies. Completed; the County reported no responsive records.
- P009499-062226 — Whistleblower and retaliation training records.
Completed; final response received September 16, 2026.
- P009927-082526 — EDSO overtime records. In progress; estimated
completion October 30, 2026.
- P010122-092626 — Gifts, benefits, and donations. In progress;
estimated completion December 4, 2026.

I can provide any and all information I received through the PRA process,
including the underlying records, upon request.

Sincerely,

Leslie Schlag