Campaign seeking recall of Alameda County DA Pamela Price set to gather signatures
OAKLAND – Organizers of a campaign to recall Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price are preparing to gather signatures after their petition received approval from election officials.
"Save Alameda For Everyone" or S.A.F.E., announced Thursday that their petition was approved by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. The group said it has 160 days to gather 73,195 valid signatures from Alameda County voters to qualify for the ballot.
Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and a recall proponent, said in a statement, "District Attorney Pamela Price has absolutely failed the people of Alameda County. Crime is spiraling out of control. It's time to stand up for victims of crime and their families to bring justice back to Alameda County."
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Brenda Grisham, who is also part of the campaign, said, "People are being murdered, assaulted, robbed, carjacked in broad daylight. Criminals are acting with impunity. The time for action is now."
Price was elected last year on a platform touting progressive criminal justice reforms that included alternatives to incarceration and eliminating most sentencing enhancements.
Since taking office in January, she has faced scrutiny in the handling of high-profile cases, including in the murder of toddler Jasper Wu and Home Depot loss prevention employee Blake Mohs. The district attorney has also faced pushback among residents frustrated about crime during recent town hall meetings in Oakland and Fremont.
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Price has fired back at her critics, saying in a recent KPIX interview that the recall campaign was run by outside special-interest groups supported by the Republican Party.
"I was elected because the people in this community didn't feel safe, unfortunately. We know that crime under my predecessor was pretty much exploding," Price told reporter Betty Yu in July. "The DA's role has really no impact on crime. To create a safe community, we need to invest in alternatives to incarceration."