Public Safety · Live Oak, CA
Live Oak Sheriff Staffing Halves Dec. 1; 55 Call Types Cut
The Live Oak City Council voted to end its contract with the Sutter County Sheriff's Office after facing a nearly $2 million budget deficit, with the contract expiring Nov. 30. Beginning Dec. 1, the city of more than 9,000 residents will have just one sheriff's deputy on duty at any given time, down from two around-the-clock deputies. The Sheriff's Office identified 55 types of calls across three priority levels that deputies will no longer routinely respond to in Live Oak, though all Priority 1 calls including homicides, assaults, and robberies will still receive a response. Four deputies will rotate shifts for 24-hour coverage, supported by a sheriff's sergeant and dispatchers. The city purchased an AI-powered system called Readyly to handle nonemergency calls such as abandoned vehicles, parking violations, loud music, and vandalism complaints.