May 5, 2026
The Solano County Board of Supervisors accepted an intergovernmental agreement with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation that will provide $1 million for four health and well-being projects.
The county will allocate $500,000 to the Vallejo First Five Center, $280,000 for the Mobile Food Pharmacy Program, $120,000 for youth transitioning out of probation, and $100,000 to the preservation and conservation of Patwin ancestral land.
County staff said the Yoca Dehe Wintun Nation has given nearly $8 million to the county since 2017, continuing its longstanding tradition of charitable giving.
Over the last eight years, staff states that 2,704 families have received services from First 5 Solano. Youth in the probation program are also provided with clothing, basic household needs, laptops and more.
Anthony Roberts, Chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, thanked the board for their partnership over the years. He said in the past several years, the tribe has given $14.7 million to a variety of causes across the county.
“We feel working together has made a real difference in our communities,” he said. Chair Monica Brown thanked Roberts on behalf of the county.
“Thank you for the kind words, and I agree with you wholeheartedly,” Brown said.
Supervisor Mitch Mashburn said the agreement shows that the tribe is involved with the community and listening to its needs. He noted that the tribe makes other considerable contributions to the community, including the restoration of the Benicia Waterfront Park. While Solano County is part of the tribe’s ancestral homelands, its headquarters are located in Brooks.
Toya Adams of First 5 Solano thanked the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation for their support of the Vallejo First 5 Center and six family resource centers across the county. She said she looks forward to many more years of partnership and shared commitment.
“These are not just programs; these are lifelines,” she said.
The Solano County Department of Human Resources provided a report outlining the status of staff vacancies. Human Resources Director Niger Edwards provided the presentation on the issue, and said that the county’s overall vacancy rate is 10.55 percent, while the bargaining unit 11 has a vacancy rate of 50.34 percent. Unit 11, which includes physicians, psychiatrists, and dentists, has nearly ten unbudgeted positions, and without them has a vacancy rate of less than 20 percent. She said every county in the state is expected to face staffing shortages in behavioral health.
“It did take us about 165 days to fill our two psychiatrist positions,” Edwards said.
Mashburn asked Edwards why the county has identified 12 eligible dentists and has hired none. Edwards said she did not have data related to that, but said eligible dentists sometimes decline employment with the county after interviewing.
From March 2025 to February 2026, Edwards said the county saw 764 hires, 23 terminations, 147 resignations and 83 retirements. Five hundred and twelve of the new hires were internal movement. She said a tight labor market has led to fewer applicants and increased voluntary turnover. Since federal and private sector layoffs, she said, applications have begun to increase.
“Unfortunately, being in the public sector, we can only offer so much,” she said.
The county continues to use its Neo Gov system to recruit applicants, participates in career fairs and advertises vacancies on social media. Edwards said the county also offers internship opportunities, flexible schedules, training and development, tuition reimbursement, and advanced step salary placement.
Fairfield Mayor and District Three Board of Supervisors Candidate Catherine Moy once again spoke during public comment and called for the county to agendize a public vote on California Forever. She said her opponent Wanda Williams responded to her comment last week with name-calling and derision, and she described the California Forever Suisun Expansion Specific Plan EIR as a “charade.”
Moy said supervisors have a platform, which creates an expectation to lead on issues within their district. She said she would like an open public debate with Williams on the issue.
“The Suisun City Council is taking active steps to not let their citizens vote on this,” Moy said.