Yolo County isn’t taking the grand jury’s criticism lying down. After a scathing March 2026 report suggested county officials knew about an illegal fireworks operation in Esparto for at least three years and did nothing, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors fired back Monday with a forceful 20-page rebuttal that challenges nearly every major claim.
The civil grand jury’s 32-page report was damning. It alleged officials were aware of the illegal operation, failed to enforce codes, and that this lack of oversight directly led to the July 1, 2025 explosion that killed seven workers from Devastating Pyrotechnics. The county’s response? Those are speculation, not facts. The board insists it“will not accept findings about the motives of County staff or the Board that rest on speculation,”pushing back particularly hard on the idea that officials fostered a culture of tolerance toward the operation.
Here’s where things get interesting: the grand jury itself acknowledged it“could not determine definitively”why county staff didn’t pursue the matter further after a June 2, 2022 site visit. Yet the report’s very title declared officials“knew”and“none acted”—a framing the county calls prejudicial. Officials argue the report assigns blame before the evidence supports it, claiming that just because someone knows something exists doesn’t mean they knowingly tolerated it or failed in their duty.
The county does concede one key fact: staff were aware the fireworks were stored on property owned by sheriff’s employees. But it denies this knowledge led to any favorable treatment. Instead, county officials argue the responsibility lies squarely with Kenneth Chee, Jack Lee, Gary Chan, Douglas Michael Tollefsen, and Samuel Machado—five men indicted on murder charges—along with the operation itself for deliberately concealing its enterprise and expanding it until disaster struck.
Where the county does find common ground is on moving forward. Officials say they’re already working on grand jury recommendations, including creating a county fire warden position. The Board of Supervisors’preliminary response could still shift at a Tuesday morning meeting, but one thing’s clear: this dispute over who knew what, when, and what they did about it is far from settled. The question now isn’t just about accountability—it’s about how county government balances oversight responsibilities across local, state, and federal lines.
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Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
