EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – The next meeting of the El Dorado County supervisors on October 20 will include an agenda item on the possible appointment of Undersheriff Eric Palmberg to replace the retiring Sheriff Jeff Leikauf at the end of the year.

Leikauf submitted his letter of retirement on October 12, stating that after 36 years with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, it was the right time to retire for both his family and the department.

The Sheriff ran for his first election in 2022 to replace then-retiring John D’Agostini, and his term was to end in 2028. In recent months, D’Agostini has made his feelings known about the current sheriff publicly on social media.

“As time has progressed, it has become clear that the focus has shifted away from serving the Office and the community to the current Sheriff’s individual priorities and he is not the leader I believed he would be,” stated D’Agostini. “He has failed me, he has failed the agency, and he is failing our communities. For all of this, I take full responsibility. And I will fix it. I intend to run for the Office of Sheriff in the next election, in 2028. Or, if the current Sheriff does the right thing for the agency and community by retiring before then, I will seek appointment by the Board of Supervisors for the remainder of the term.”

Leikauf is supporting his undersheriff in succeeding him in December. On Tuesday’s agenda, only Palmberg’s name is mentioned to succeed him.

In pubic comments to the board, one was received from Kim Smith, a former county employee. In that email, Smith said she felt the agenda item is being rushed, especially since Leikauf’s retirement is two months away and it’s only been a week since his announcement was made. She also said she wanted D’Agostini to be considered and the vote shouldn’t take place Tuesday due to the planned absence of Supervisor Brian Veerkamp.

One member of the public has raised concerns about both Leikauf and Palmberg due to their participation in a June 2026 California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA) event in South Lake Tahoe. Leslie Schlag submitted a public records request for expenses for the three-day event, but has been told the final documents won’t be ready until November 20.

“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,” said Schlag.

The records he has received to date show the County picking up expenses for two jet skis escorting the Rum Runner cruise that had just spouses on board. There was also the sheriff’s patrol boat with two onboard and one plainclothes sergeant aboard the cruise. Schlage said the County’s Incident Action Plan for the event held at Margaritaville and Valhalla also stated two plainclothes deputies and a sergeant were to provide security for spouses’ shopping.

He asks the supervisors to hold off on their decision until all receipts and records are released for the sheriff, undersheriff and their spouses.

In 2019, Monterey County Sheriff Stephen Bernal was censured for failure to faithfully perform his duties by allowing inappropriate expenditures of County funds during the 2019 California State Sheriffs’ Association convention in that county. The district attorney investigated and found that, while there was no criminal conduct in expenses submitted, they needed to be brought to the attention of the supervisors since the sheriff represents the taxpayers.

For Tuesday’s complete agenda and instructions on participation, visit here.