MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) – The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office is set to appear in Superior Court on Nov. 17 to contest sweeping workplace safety citations issued by Cal/OSHA following the fatal shooting of a Marysville police officer during a March drug raid in Olivehurst.

The citations stem from the death of Officer Osmar Rodarte, who was shot while entering a bedroom during a multi-agency narcotics operation targeting suspected methamphetamine dealer Rick David Oliver. Cal/OSHA fined the Sheriff’s Office more than $100,000, alleging failures in tactical planning, protective gear and medical coordination. Marysville Police Department, which also participated in the raid, received separate citations totaling over $230,000.

Rodarte, a 30-year-old Army veteran and two-year member of the Marysville Police Department, was part of a regional SWAT team executing a search warrant at Oliver’s home on Kestrel Court. According to the Yuba County District Attorney’s report, officers announced their presence before entering. Rodarte and Yuba County Sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Trumm led the entry into the master bedroom, where Oliver was partially concealed behind storage totes and armed with a revolver.

Trumm reportedly spotted the weapon’s reflection in a mirror and issued a warning. Rodarte turned toward Oliver with his rifle, and both men fired nearly simultaneously, according to the Yuba County District Attorney’s report released in April. Rodarte was struck and fatally wounded. Oliver was hit by multiple rounds and died at the scene.

At a press conference following Rodarte’s death, Sheriff Wendell Anderson publicly criticized Cal/OSHA’s investigation as “unprecedented and unfounded,” warning that the agency’s actions set a dangerous precedent for law enforcement statewide. He said the citations unfairly diverted the blame from Oliver, a career criminal, and misrepresented the realities of tactical operations. Anderson urged other departments to take notice, describing the regulatory overreach as a threat to officer safety and operational integrity.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking the court to block Cal/OSHA from accessing internal records and interviewing personnel. A case management conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 in Yuba County Superior Court, with Judge Stephen W. Berrier presiding.

Marysville Mayor Chris Branscum has also publicly criticized the state’s actions, saying they reopened wounds for a community still mourning Rodarte’s death. In interviews following the citations, Branscum described the enforcement as painful, unnecessary and offensive to both the city and the county.

Cal/OSHA’s investigation cited a lack of abdominal protection in Rodarte’s body armor, insufficient SWAT training and failure to use ballistic shields. The agency also faulted the departments for not adequately assessing firearm risks or coordinating emergency medical support.

As a result of the Sheriff’s complaint, a judge will decide whether Cal/OSHA will gain access to internal documents as part of its enforcement process. The Sheriff’s Office is expected to argue that the agency overstepped its jurisdiction and failed to account for the realities of police work.

Rodarte’s death marked the first line-of-duty killing of a Marysville peace officer in more than a century. Thousands attended his memorial service at Hard Rock Live near Wheatland.

Oliver, 60, had a lengthy criminal history that included a felony conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, according to court records. He was a registered sex offender with prior drug offenses and multiple failures to appear in court. Law enforcement officials, including Marysville Police Chief Christian Sachs, publicly criticized California’s justice system in the aftermath of the shooting, pointing to gaps in sentencing and enforcement that allowed Oliver to remain free despite years of violations.