With recall votes leading, Alameda County preparing to appoint new DA
Alameda County voters have spoken, and they overwhelmingly voted to recall District Attorney Pamela Price.
The latest results released on Friday showed 63 percent voted for the recall to oust Price. The county registrar said on Friday there are not enough uncounted ballots to change the outcome in the race.
In the meantime, county supervisors are preparing to appoint a new district attorney. Nate Miley, president of the Board of Supervisors, said about 10 candidates have expressed interest in the job.
"We're looking for somebody who can manage and run the district attorney's office. It's got a $100 plus million budget," said Miley.
The supervisors will take applications and interview the candidates as part of the selection process.
Miley said he personally is looking for an experienced prosecutor who can strike the right balance between accountability and reform.
"We're looking for someone who can work with all the stakeholders, be they victims, be they prosecutors, be they regular staff, work with law enforcement, work with the broader community," said Miley.
Butch Ford spoke out publicly against Price. Now, he wants to replace her.
"I'm very familiar with the problems that existed in the office before and currently. And as a result of that, I'm in a good position to fix those problems," said Ford.
Ford had worked in the Alameda County DA's office for 23 years. He left after Price took office.
Now, he works for Brooke Jenkins as an assistant district attorney in San Francisco, managing the preliminary hearing team.
"When the victims in Alameda County reached out to me, they reached out for a reason. And I answered the call. And I answered the call time and time again obviously at great risk to myself. And even despite that risk, I continued to answer the call. And I will continue to answer the call whether they choose me as the DA or not," said Ford.
Price filed charges against Ford, accusing him of misconduct. Those charges were later dismissed. Some called the charges a retaliation against Ford since he supported the recall and spoke at some the recall rallies.
Carl Chan is one of the recall organizers. He said the recall organization plans to play a role in the search for the next district attorney by conducting some of the candidate interviews themselves, independent of the county process.
"We love Butch, we also love to have other candidates because we have to be fair to all the other candidates if they want to apply. But again, we want to make sure that the person has the background and the experience in how to run an effective DA office," said Chan.
CBS News Bay Area learned L.D. Louis and Venus Johnson are among the 10 people who plan to apply. Johnson is the chief deputy and senior advisor to state Attorney General Rob Bonta.
CBS News Bay Area emailed Johnson for a comment but did not hear back from her by press time.
Louis is a former Alameda County prosecutor of 23 years. She's currently a deputy county counsel for Alameda County. She confirmed her interest in the job via text, but declined to do an interview on Friday.
Ford said whoever gets the job, he'll continue to support the victims of the county.
"I'm a fixer. And Alameda County, the district attorney's office needs to be fixed," said Ford.
Once the recall is certified on December 5th, Chief Assistant District Attorney Royl Roberts will likely serve as the interim DA until the supervisors appoint a new one.
Miley said the board will discuss the appointment process at the Dec. 10 board meeting. The county will accept applications in December. He said the supervisors will likely appoint a new DA in February.
Voters in Alameda County will get to vote on the position in 2026.
