County Administrator

Font Size: + -

Feedback Print

Governance Welcome to the County Administrator’s Office.

There is a tremendous amount of positive change happening in our County and by our employees. We are proud of the direction Sutter County is headed. We are committed to achieve the Board of Supervisor's goals in a manner that is ethical, respectable, and professional. Here at Sutter County we put the public's interest first and are building a culture to enhance the quality of life for our residents.

Below, you can read about the people who serve you in the County Administrator's office.

CAO Staff

Steve Smith - County Administrator

Steven M. Smith - County Administrative Officer As your Sutter County Administrator, I am grateful to work in such a wonderful community. My family could not imagine a better place to call home.

It is an honor to serve with our County’s elected and appointed officials and I take my responsibilities very seriously. I believe we have assembled a remarkable and hard-working County team who is dedicated to providing excellent public service while also meeting the high ethical standards and professional ideals our community deserves.

I joined Sutter County in 2009 and during my tenure I’ve had the privilege to work with and assist all of our County’s departments. I’ve helped coordinate public safety realignment and supervised day-to-day County operations as well as facilitated a responsible and balanced budget that best serves the policies our Supervisors are dedicated to pursuing.

With over twenty years of management experience behind me I consider myself to be a seasoned professional; however, I want you to know my curiosity and interest in how we may be able to improve services and better meet evolving and new needs in our community remains strong. Innovation and creativity need to be at the forefront of our work ethic to ensure that we are developing and advancing along with our community.

While my MBA and work experience has given me the technical knowledge to accomplish certain tasks, it is my intentional focus to manage with care and compassion to strengthen my relationships and drive my day-to-day decision-making. Please know that I strive to be an approachable administrator dedicated to working in concert with you to mitigate problems and introduce innovative ideas to enhance public services. Please feel free to call me whenever the need arises and remember, we’re working together for our community!

Leanne Link - Assistant County Administrator

Leanne Link joined Sutter County as Assistant County Administrator in February 2020. The primary role of the Assistant County Administrator is to assist the County Administrator in County operations and to oversee preparation of the County’s annual budget. Prior to coming to Sutter County, Ms. Link was retired from Napa County, where she worked as the Assistant County Executive Officer and County Executive Officer from 2013 to 2017. Before Napa County, she spent 16 years in Shasta County, working both in Health and Human Services and County Administration, and in fiscal positions for Sutter County Superintendent of Schools for four years prior to that. She grew up in the local area, attending Barry School and Yuba City High School and is proud of her local roots. Ms. Link holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy and is a Credentialed County Senior Executive through the California State Association of Counties.

Jamme Yang - Principal Analyst

Jamme joined the Sutter County Administrative Office team in January 2023 as a Principal Analyst, a position that is expected to possess a comprehensive knowledge of the county’s political environment, policies, and procedures as well as having well-developed skills in leadership, finance, and communication. Jamme began her county career in 2017 where she became familiar with small county responsibilities and programs, routinely appeared before the board of supervisors on administrative items, provided programmatic support, and analyzed and tracked legislation important to counties. Her prior career included progressively more responsible leadership roles in private higher education. Jamme obtained a double major in Business Administration and Economics from the local university - Cal Poly Humboldt where she grew up. Since 2005 the Yuba-Sutter region has been home to Jamme where she continued her education, earning a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).

Laura Granados - Deputy County Administrator

Laura joined the Sutter County Administrator's team in April 2022. The primary role of the Deputy County Administrator is to provide administrative support and assistance in the administration of the county through a variety of difficult and complex analytical functions involved in the review and analysis of departmental budgets, programs, systems, and procedures. Laura was previously the Administration & Finance Manager for the Probation department as well as fiscal oversight for the Community Corrections Partnership with the 2011 Public Safety Realignment. In collaboration with the Chief Probation Officer, her primary role was to plan, organize and direct the administrative, fiscal and support operations of the Probation Department. Laura has directed and participated in the development and administration of the department's annual budgets, monitored the receipt of State or Federal revenues and prepared revenue forecasts or expenditure projections for the Special Revenue Funds. Before coming to Sutter County, Laura worked for the Sutter County Superintendent of Schools for 5 years. She has served in the public sector for over 15 years. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in Accountancy.

Taylor Kayatta - Deputy County Administrator

Taylor joined the Sutter County Administrator's office in July 2023. The primary role of Deputy County Administrator is to provide administrative support and assistance in the administration of the county through a variety of difficult and complex analytical functions involved in the review and analysis of departmental budgets, programs, systems, and procedures. Taylor previously served Sutter County as a Deputy County Counsel. Before coming to Sutter County, Taylor worked as an auditor, attorney, analyst, and manager for the California Secretary of State, State Controller, and State Auditor's offices. Taylor has a bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA, a law degree from McGeorge School of Law, and an MBA from Sacramento State. Taylor is a licensed California attorney and a Certified Public Accountant.

Chuck Smith - Public Information Officer/Legislative Analyst

The Public Information Officer is responsible for assisting the Board of Supervisors, CAO, and all 20 departments in communicating effectively with the public. The PIO responds to requests from the media, and helps media representatives understand County issues and connect with the right subject matter expert for their publication needs. The PIO is responsible for the County's social media presence, and is a member of the management team when the Emergency Operations Center is open. The Legislative Analyst is responsible for monitoring legislation and rulemaking at the state and federal levels, as they impact County functions, and for developing a broad legislative platform that allows the County to move quickly when advocating for, and opposing, legislation and proposed new rules.

Yuba-Sutter native and lifelong resident Chuck Smith has been the County's PIO since February of 2008. He spent more than a decade covering local government as a reporter for the Appeal-Democrat newspaper. He graduated from UC Davis with a degree in history. He has extensive training in emergency communications and has worked mutual aid in Emergency Operations Centers for fatal wild fires in Lake and Butte counties, in addition to functioning as the lead PIO in the Sutter County EOC during the February 2017 evacuation. In 2009, for purposes of County disaster awareness outreach and the need for flood insurance, he authored and produced the 80-minute documentary "The 1955 Sutter County Flood," (YouTube) detailing the Christmas Eve disaster which resulted in 37 deaths and inundation of 90 percent of Yuba City. The documentary has been used as a training tool for new employees at the Department of Water Resources' Division of Flood Management. In February of 2018, Chuck was invited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be a presenter at a technical seminar at the FEMA's National Emergency Management Academy entitled: "Maintaining Public Trust Through Effective Emergency Management."

Zachary Hamill - Emergency Operations Manager

zhamill

Zachary Hamill is the Emergency Operations Manager for Sutter County. He holds a bachelor's degree in Emergency Administration and Planning. Zach has been a dedicated professional in the emergency management field for 18 years, with 14 of those years spent working with Sonoma County. He has actively contributed to numerous disaster management and response efforts, including 2004/2005 New Years Flood, 2011 Great Tohoku Tsunami, 2014 Napa Earthquake, 2017 LNU Central Complex Fires, 2018 Camp Fire, 2021 Dixie Fire, and many other emergencies.

Zach is respected for his expertise in various aspects of emergency management, such as incident command, crisis leadership, and communications. He has received specialized training and holds certifications that reflect his commitment to the field. Notably, Zach currently serves as the Liaison Officer on Cal Fire Incident Management Team 3.

Zach's dedication to emergency management extends beyond his professional roles. He currently represents Mutual Aid Regional Advisory Committee (MARAC) Region 3 on the Alert and Warning Specialist Committee and the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) Advisory Board. He also serves as the Vice-President of the Inland Chapter of the California Emergency Services Association (CESA).

In recognition of his outstanding contributions and expertise, Zach has been recognized with the Certified Professional Emergency Manager certificate from the California Emergency Services Association. This accomplishment underscores his commitment to enhancing disaster preparedness and response.

For The Record

Emergency Management

Under the direction of the CAO, the Office of Emergency Management is responsible for planning, response and recovery activities associated with natural and man-made emergencies and disasters throughout the County.

Fire Services

In addition to fire suppression operations, the Fire Services in Sutter County provide medical aid at the basic life support level with the ability to perform emergency cardiac shock (defibrillation).

The Sutter County Fire Department (County Service Area - F) has a Hazardous Materials Response Team with equipment and personnel trained to mitigate hazardous materials releases. Other services provided include technical rescue capabilities and public education programs promoting fire safety at all local elementary schools.

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Word Viewer