Santa Rita was the deadliest lockup in Northern California a KTVU investigation found that 58 people have died there since 2014. During Ahern’s long tenure, his county jail drew condemnation for its dangerous conditions. Gregory Ahern conceded on Wednesday to challenger Yesenia Sanchez, a sheriff’s commander who ran on promises to reform the department.Īhern has been sheriff since 2006, but he never once faced an opponent in any of his four prior elections. Voters in Alameda County, the East Bay county that’s home to Oakland, have decisively fired their sheriff.
