El Dorado County's next sheriff could be decided when the Board of Supervisors takes up a contested appointment Tuesday, Oct. 20, that has pitted the retiring sheriff against his predecessor.

Sheriff Jeff Leikauf, who confirmed his retirement effective Dec. 25 after 36 years with the department, has recommended Undersheriff Eric Palmberg for the job. Former Sheriff John D'Agostini, who held the post for 12 years before Leikauf took office, is fighting to reclaim it.

The board is scheduled to consider the appointment under agenda item 26-1683 at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the county government center, 330 Fair Lane, Building A, in Placerville, Placerville NewsWire reported. The county's Chief Administrative Office has recommended Palmberg serve as sheriff-coroner-public administrator for the remainder of the term, which ends Jan. 8, 2029. The proposed monthly salary is $25,701.87, paid from the General Fund, according to the agenda listing.

D'Agostini is urging supervisors to delay the vote. In a letter to the board, he called the timeline rushed, writing that the item landed on the agenda less than a week after Leikauf's public retirement announcement.

"I firmly believe, as well as the majority of your constituents that this appears rushed and non-transparent," D'Agostini wrote, according to Folsom Times.

D'Agostini also questioned why the county's chief administrative officer, Sue Phillips, would recommend an appointee for an elected position. He alleged the meeting was scheduled while District 3 Supervisor Brian Veerkamp would be absent.

Those allegations reflect D'Agostini's position and have not been independently confirmed, according to Folsom Times. The published agenda confirms the meeting date but does not address the scheduling rationale.

The public dispute between the two men has been building for months. In an August social media post, D'Agostini said Leikauf "is not the leader I believed he would be," Village Life reported. D'Agostini, who originally endorsed Leikauf as his successor, has since publicly apologized for that choice.

Leikauf dismissed D'Agostini's criticism as "ridiculous" and told Village Life on Oct. 14 that his predecessor's attacks began after D'Agostini was told he would need to pass a background investigation to become a reserve deputy. Leikauf said D'Agostini asked that the requirement be waived.

Leikauf declined to make exceptions.

"He's not running me out. I'm not running from anything," Leikauf told Village Life. "I've got 36 years in the business."

Leikauf said he has already filed paperwork to become a reserve deputy himself after leaving office. He said a key factor in his retirement was a change in California law extending his term from four years to six, pushing the next sheriff election to 2028. He was elected in 2022 and said he always intended to serve one term.

Palmberg, a 19-year department veteran, has served as undersheriff since November 2025. He told Village Life he was in the room about five years ago when D'Agostini announced Leikauf as his chosen successor.

Palmberg said the entire command staff was asked to support Leikauf. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has served in all three divisions of the Sheriff's Office, according to Leikauf's letter to the board.

D'Agostini, first elected in 2010 from a field of seven candidates and re-elected unopposed in 2014 and 2018, framed his bid as a correction. He wrote that he seeks the appointment "to correct this error and get the agency back on track."

California law requires the board to fill vacancies in elected county offices by appointment. A 2016 state attorney general opinion concluded that a county board must appoint a successor sheriff within a reasonable time, according to Placerville NewsWire. If the board were to consider D'Agostini, state law would require him to complete a background investigation first, Village Life reported.

Residents who want to weigh in can email comments on the agenda item to [email protected] by 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19. The Oct. 20 meeting is also scheduled to be livestreamed, with remote access available via Zoom.