Interim Alameda County DA Royl Roberts talks about his plans for office
On Friday, Dec. 6th, the recall election in Alameda County was officially certified, and Pamela Price was no longer district attorney. That meant her chief assistant, Royl Roberts, took over the helm of the department.
Now, in his first week as interim DA. Roberts sat down to talk about what he sees his role to be going forward.
At her farewell press conference in November, Pamela Price expressed confidence in the ability of her second-in-command to lead the District Attorney's office despite having zero experience as a criminal prosecutor.
"Leading an agency with a budget over $100 million and 400-plus employees requires far more knowledge, skill and experience than just being a line deputy criminal prosecutor," she said.
With Price's name still emblazoned on the office's front door, Roberts met with the media to talk about what the public can expect in the interim.
"Well, first what I would like to say is I'm not Pamela Price," he said. "I'm Royl Roberts and I see my role as a little different. The voters have spoken, and I think it's important to listen to the voters when they do speak. I see my job and my role as bridging this timeframe until the next person runs for this office on a permanent basis. I want to do what's best for Alameda County. And that is to use my expertise to continue the operations of this office."
His expertise does not include the courtroom, having only gotten a license to practice law in 2022. Prior to that he served in managerial positions for 10 years for private businesses, ending up as general counsel for the Peralta Community College District. Roberts said his focus will be on keeping the prosecutors' office running smoothly.
"The district attorney of Alameda County is not in the courtroom prosecuting cases on a daily basis," he said. "This is really a person who has a wide variety of managerial responsibilities. Like any good manager, what I've done is put the experts in position to assist me in running this operation."
"Well, good. That's great, because that's what he needs to do," said Brenda Grisham. "Yeah, he's the administrative officer, right now. He's the office manager."
Grisham is an anti-gun violence activist who helped lead the Price recall. She said she's not sure why the ousted official got to pick her replacement as she walked out the door.
"Well, we all understand that most of the personnel that she hired weren't qualified for the positions that they were hired for," said Grisham. "You know, there are certain qualifications that you need in order to run that office. He was the second in command, so now he's the first in command. But him being a permanent leader? I doubt that very seriously."
That's the position Roberts finds himself in. But, unless the Board of Supervisors appoints someone else to fill the position until another election in 2026, it's his job to do. And he said he has a message for both the public and those causing mayhem in the streets.
"If you commit a crime, if you are charged, you will be prosecuted. That's about the clearest message that I could give to those who think that it is business as usual when it comes to committing crimes in Alameda County."
But does Roberts think that's the lesson people in the streets have been getting for the last two years?
"I can't speak to what message they've received prior to me coming into this position. But that's the message that I can say it is right now," he said.
Roberts has no idea how long he will be in the position and said he currently has no plans to run for the office in 2026.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to finalize the process for picking Price's replacement at Tuesday night's meeting. It's possible the board could select a replacement DA as soon as January. It could be Roberts or someone else, which means the district attorney's office will continue to sail on but without a clear sense of direction.
