Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price concedes in recall: "The voters have spoken"
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price sent out a statement Monday acknowledging the successful recall, saying the voters have spoken.
The Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced last week that there were not enough uncounted ballots to change the results of the recall against her.
The votes in favor of the recall are currently leading at 63.1% over 36.9% against the recall.
"I thank you for the honor of serving you as your district attorney and I applaud you for going to the polls in 2022 and believing in the possibility of reforming the criminal justice system after 100 years here in Alameda County," Price said during a news conference in downtown Oakland Monday afternoon.
In her released statement that she reiterated in part during the news conference, Price said the outcome is not what she hoped for, but she respects the decision.
The release went on to lay out a list of accomplishments during her two years in office as she "fought to bring change to a broken system."
Price said that she "diversified the workforce by hiring and training AAPI, indigenous, and African-American advocates" in addition to addressing gun violence, the fentanyl crisis and human trafficking.
"We prosecuted murderers and other violent persons at a higher rate than my predecessor and processed more than 12,000 cases," the statement said. "Just last week, we obtained a 50-year-to-life sentence for a former Deputy Sheriff who killed two people."
Price also cited progress in the cases of suspects involved in the deaths of security guard Kevin Nishita, toddler Jasper Wu -- who in 2021 was fatally shot in a deadly rolling gun battle on an Oakland freeway -- and undercover Oakland police officer Tuan Le.
Price thanked those who supported her and reaffirmed her commitment to reform the justice system. While she often expressed anger in the fight to keep her job, in the end, she was gracious in defeat.
Early on in her tenure, Price sparked criticism over her refusal to seek more serious charges in multiple cases, which her opponents claimed was creating a system of "catch and release."
From the outset it was controversial, as Price refused to apply many traditional sentencing enhancements for violent crimes and sometimes seemed more interested in pursuing cases against law enforcement officers themselves.
In fact, even after the election, when it was clear she was in trouble, Price announced charges against seven deputies and two civilian workers in connection with the death of Maurice Monk at the Santa Rita Jail. At the press conference, supporters demanded that those charges stand once Price is gone.
"Our Sheriff is too willing to cover for her staff. It is imperative that D.A. Price's successor follow through with the cases that our District Attorney has filed," said Jean Moses with the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in Jails.
She said she procured more than $5 million from the state to buy back firearms from the public and seemed particularly proud of her "public accountability unit," which she said exposed decades of prosecutorial misconduct.
"Although I will no longer be here to oversee the work of the public accountability unit, it is important that the work continues beyond my tenure," Price said.
But in the end, her focus on finding fault with the system gave her an image of being soft on criminals. And Carl Chan, who helped lead the recall effort, said he would like the Board of Supervisors to either appoint a replacement immediately, or at least keep a close eye on Price's office until she leaves.
"We want to make sure -- while she's still remaining at the DA's office -- we do not wish to see her continuation of the destruction and her vindictive action against anyone. We want to see a true, smooth transition," Chan said.
Price also praised "the financial acumen and stewardship of Chief Assistant District Attorney Royl Roberts" in establishing "the most robust grant portfolio in the history of the DA's office – more than $21 million dollars since January 2023." She noted that Roberts would take over leadership of the office until a new DA is appointed.
As she prepared to leave, Price thanked the people who voted to put her into the job in the first place.
"I applaud you for going to the polls in 2022 and believing in the possibility of reforming the criminal justice system after 100 years in Alameda County," she said.
Price will serve until the election is officially certified. County officials haven't said when that will be, but it's estimated to be sometime in December.
Price didn't say what her plans are now that she's leaving office and didn't take any questions from reporters.
Nate Miley, president of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, said about 10 candidates have expressed interest in the job, including Butch Ford, who worked for the Alameda County DA's office for 23 years. He left after Price took office. She would later charge him with misconduct.
CBS News Bay Area also learned L.D. Louis and Venus Johnson are among the candidates in the running for the job. Louis is a former Alameda County prosecutor of 23 years and the current deputy county counsel for Alameda County, while Johnson is the chief deputy and senior advisor to state Attorney General Rob Bonta.
Alameda County voters will get to chose a new district attorney in the 2026 election.
