Alameda County DA Pamela Price faces recall vote amid criticism over criminal justice reform efforts
Alameda County voters are set to decide on the possible recall of District Attorney Pamela Price over her efforts at criminal justice reform.
Price was elected less than two years ago and promised to cut the rate of incarceration, particularly of young Black men. She said she would not using enhancements to beef up jail sentences that she said disproportionately affected people of color.
The beginning of Price's term in 2023 also coincided with a surge in crime, with Alameda County seeing double-digit percentage increases in violent and property crimes. Price sparked immediate criticism over her refusal to seek more serious charges in multiple cases, which her opponents claimed was creating a system of "catch and release."
Just three months into her term, Price was defending herself from criticism over her handling of a case involving the suspects in the 2021 gang-related fatal shooting of 23-month-old Jasper Wu on Interstate Highway 880 in Oakland.
Weeks later, the family of a Pleasanton Home Depot employee shot to death in April 2023 by a shoplifter held a press conference to denounce Price and her decision to pursue lesser charges and sentencing in the case.
In June 2023, the family of a San Lorenzo newlywed killed in a road rage shooting spoke out against Price after her office declined to try the 17-year-old suspect as an adult.
And in July of that year, Price was confronted at a heated community meeting over the surge in crime on the same day the Oakland chapter of the NAACP said the increase in crime was due in part to her "failed leadership."
Supporters of Price say her opponents have been exploiting crime victims for political gain and have also held public shows of support for the district attorney, at times clashing with recall supporters. Opponents of a recall vote included high-profile Bay Area Democrats Rep. Barbara Lee and state Senator Nancy Skinner, who called the process undemocratic.
But other top Democrats have publicly aired their differences with Price. Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he rescinded an offer to send state prosecutors to help with the DA's office caseload because of what he characterized as an office's uncooperative stance, a claim that Price disputed. The recall campaign also received a boost last month from Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) who publicly announced his support as did Price's predecessor, former District Attorney Nancy O'Malley.
Price has said she is committed to repairing decades of mismanagement in the DA's office as well as compassionate justice and reforming a criminal justice system she has said is marred by racism. She argued that she hasn't had a chance to do the job she was elected to do and claimed the recall campaign was being funded by what she called wealthy, out-of-town real estate and corporate interests.
Proponents submitted enough validated signatures in April to trigger the recall election. If the recall passes, the county Board of Supervisors would appoint an interim district attorney until voters elect a new top prosecutor in 2026.