By admin 
El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Leikauf plans to retire at the end of the year, ending a 36-year career in county law enforcement, he said this week.
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Leikauf announced his retirement in an interview with the Mountain Democrat, telling the Placerville newspaper that he has had “an absolutely fantastic career.” He also said he has filed paperwork to continue serving as a reserve deputy.
The announcement comes amid a public dispute between Leikauf and his predecessor, former sheriff John D’Agostini, who has called for Leikauf’s resignation in local newspapers and on social media. D’Agostini, who supported Leikauf’s campaign for sheriff, said he plans to run again for the office in 2028.
“Your current sheriff was my choice. I endorsed him, helped his campaign path to office, and we were successful,” D’Agostini said in a social media post, as reported by the news website Village Life in El Dorado Hills.
D’Agostini accused Leikauf of shifting his priorities “away from serving the office and the community to the current sheriff’s individual priorities. He is not the leader I believed he would be. He has failed me, he has failed the agency, and he is failing our communities.”
Leikauf told the Mountain Democrat he was disappointed by D’Agostini’s comments and dismissed the former sheriff’s allegations as “ridiculous claims.”
“He’s not running me out. I’m not running from anything,” Leikauf told the Mountain Democrat. “I’ve got 36 years in the business. I’ve had an absolutely fantastic career.”
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He was more pointed in an interview with Village Life, calling the former sheriff’s comments “inciting,” and “an absolute joke.”
El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson congratulated Leikauf on his retirement announcement Wednesday, praising the sheriff’s decades of service and the department he will leave behind. Pierson has served as district attorney for 19 years, overlapping with much of Leikauf’s law enforcement career.
“I congratulate him — 36 years is a long time,” Pierson said. “I’ve been D.A. for 19 years. It gives you a unique perspective of how blessed El Dorado County is and has been. This is a very good sheriff’s department, a very talented group of deputies and support staff, and a very well-run organization. At the end of the day, I wish him the best.”
Leikauf cited a change in state election law extending sheriffs’ terms from four to six years as one factor in his decision to retire, the Mountain Democrat reported. Under the change, his current term runs through 2028.
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss selecting Leikauf’s successor at its Oct. 20 meeting. Leikauf said he plans to recommend Undersheriff Eric Palmberg for the position, according to the Mountain Democrat.
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