The Plumas County Board of Supervisors decided Oct. 20 to hire an outside investigator to determine whether the county counsel’s office has a conflict with Treasurer-Tax Collector Julie White and, if so, whether White is entitled to county funds to pay outside attorney fees. This is in addition to the county’s existing independent investigator, Christopher Ko, currently reviewing an employee grievance against White, who has around two more months in office before her term ends.
The board’s unanimous vote Oct. 13 stems from White’s claim that she cannot be fairly represented by Plumas County Counsel Joshua Brechtel in the grievance investigating her conduct and performance of official duties.
The board’s action does not affect the grievance investigation process, said Board of Supervisors Chair Mimi White. That is a personnel investigation conducted by the human resources department, she said, and not the board.
“We have rules and policies of what must happen and every grievance must be investigated unless it’s withdrawn,” she said.
White claims conflict
White raised the conflict of interest issue after Brechtel notified her Aug. 26 of the grievance filed against her. The grievance process typically involves an investigation by an independent agent. That investigation is in process.
County employees are entitled to legal representation by the county counsel’s office. White, however, said Brechtel has a conflict and cannot represent her fairly. She asked the county to pay her private attorney fees.
Christopher Bakes, White’s Sacramento attorney, argued Oct. 13 that the investigation of White is a legal proceeding and that she is entitled to fees paying a private attorney to represent her. Deputy County Counsel Sara James disagreed. Brechtel did not attend that meeting.
The dispute was continued to Oct. 20, when the supervisors avoided settling it by hiring an outside investigator to decide both whether the investigation qualifies as a legal proceeding, and if a conflict with the county counsel’s office exists.
They did not avoid a sharp exchange between Bakes and Brechtel over White’s conflict of interest claims. Bakes pointed to what he said were inconsistencies in the county counsel’s statements. He said Brechtel advised White that she was not entitled to legal fees “not because there wasn’t a conflict” but because of his interpretation of which government codes apply to the grievance investigation.
“I’m here because of the material difference in what was represented to Ms. White and then what was represented to me,” Bakes said.
Brechtel responded: “You’re misrepresenting me.”
As the exchange began to escalate, Hall interrupted: “I’m just going to end it there.”
Hall invokes precedent
White’s claim of a conflict of interest in the recent employee grievance has its roots in a 2023 dispute that arose between her and several county officials. Hall was not on the board of supervisors at the time but she referenced the conflict in her comments.
“We are not here by accident,” she said. “We are here because, in the past, this county, as a board, its human resources director did decide to do things that were not OK.”
The issues began with an email written to White by then-Human Resources Director Nancy Selvage. White claimed a conflict of interest with the county counsel’s office and hired Bakes to represent her. The dispute over paying her legal fees expanded to include then-County Administrative Officer Debra Lucero. In August 2025 the supervisors agreed to pay White’s $175,000 legal fees.
Hall cited a related conflict between Lucero and District Attorney David Hollister. In that dispute the county hired an outside investigator to determine if there were grounds for the complaint and, if there were, agreed to fund attorney fees up to $25,000. The investigation found no grounds and the county paid no attorney fees, Hall said.
But the process set a precedent worth following in the current dispute, she said. “If there’s a determination of conflict, we can express our intent to cover those legal fees,” she said.
Supervisor Kevin Goss, who made the motion to hire an outside investigator, said it gives the supervisors “an opportunity for the actual grievance process to play out.”
“We need to take an outside look, not from Treasurer White’s attorney or from our county counsel, just an outside perspective to inform us,” Goss said.
Supervisor Jeff Engel seconded his motion to hire the independent investigator.
Source: Plumas Sun
