This small NorCal town is scrambling to avoid lawlessness

Willows, a Sacramento Valley community with around 6,000 people, is locked in a high-stakes legal dispute over its law enforcement contract with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office. The city has relied on the sheriff’s office to police its streets for nearly 10 years, but the sheriff’s office now says it’s operating at a loss and is asking Willows to pay more, which the city alleges is more than it can afford. 

Willows’ contract with the sheriff’s office expired at the end of June. Both sides failed to reach an agreement to continue the contract, leaving the town’s future safety in jeopardy. On July 2, a Glenn County Superior Court judge temporarily sided with Willows officials, ordering the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office to continue providing law enforcement until Willows can find an alternative solution. The court prioritized Willows’ public safety concerns over the sheriff’s office’s financial losses, at least temporarily, until the matter can be further discussed in court, KRCR-TV reported. 

But this week, the judge dropped the order, the Sacramento Bee reported. The city of Willows updated residents on its website on Thursday of the court’s decision, noting that the sheriff publicly committed to maintaining local policing efforts despite the pending litigation. 

“I am grateful that the judge heard the actual facts of the case and the results speak for themselves,” Glenn County Sheriff Justin Gibbs said on Facebook.

Funding has long been an issue for Willows’ law enforcement. In 2017, Willows dissolved its police department because of “declining general funds, difficulty recruiting officers, and increasing financial strain,” according to the city’s lawsuit against the sheriff’s office.

At that time, city officials signed a contract with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office to provide law enforcement. The most recent agreement ran from Jan. 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026. The sheriff’s office provided “one full-time lieutenant, one full-time sergeant, nine full-time deputies, one full-time detective,” plus administrative support, according to the lawsuit. The city’s most recent payment to the sheriff’s office for those services was for $2.35 million, covering the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

The Glenn County Sheriff’s Office said this agreement is “unsustainable” in a June 9 news release. The sheriff’s office said 56% of its total caseload comes from Willows. It wants Willows to pay $3.4 million to allow it to continue providing service to the community. The sheriff’s office argued that the city allegedly refuses to pay “the actual cost of delivering law enforcement services” and that it has not made an effort to reopen its police department. 

“The County cannot continue to fund city services as the County budget deficit grows,” the sheriff’s office said. 

But the $3.4 million price tag is more than what Willows “can reasonably pay,” the lawsuit said. 

Now, the fight is playing out in court. 

At Thursday’s hearing, attorneys representing the sheriff’s office said the judge didn’t give Glenn County officials the chance to present their arguments in court, the Sacramento Bee reported. The attorneys also argued that the court does not have authority to make orders that would change the county’s budget, the news outlet reported. 

Another hearing was initially scheduled for July 17, but it has been postponed to Aug. 13, Amy Travis, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told SFGATE.

Willows will push to “continue law enforcement until some sort of settlement can be negotiated,” Marti Brown, the city manager, told SFGATE in an email on Wednesday. 

It’s unclear what the city of Willows will do following the most recent court ruling. City officials have been exploring other avenues to ensure that Willows has policing services. Officials announced on Tuesday that they signed a $60,000 agreement to hire Michael Maloney, a former police chief in Chico, and his consulting firm to reestablish the Willows Police Department and help with law enforcement consulting. 

Brown did not respond to SFGATE’s request for comment about the recent ruling.

Willows also declared a public safety emergency when the contract ended at the end of June, according to a news release. 

“We have found ourselves in an unprecedented situation in Willows. I am disappointed to be in this position and will be working hard with the City Council to get us through this strenuous situation in a timely matter,” Mayor Evan Hutson said in a statement. 

Gibbs issued a statement on June 25, saying the sheriff’s office “will comply with my constitutional and statutory obligations.” The sheriff’s office also created an online crime reporting portal for nonemergency calls, and officials said they are creating a separate portal for Willows residents.