Progressive Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price has been dealt a humiliating blow after California’s governor announced he would send prosecutors to fix the rising crime levels she has been blamed for.
Price is accused of allowing violent crimes to become rampant in Alameda County by enacting liberal policies, such as lower prison sentences, in an effort to promote “equality.”
Under her watch, crime has continued to rise, up nearly 20 percent in 2023 compared to 2019, with businesses including In-N-Out closing their doors in the dying city.
In a statement about the project, Newsom admitted that “Oakland’s crime rate is uniquely rising compared to other urban centers in California.” According to Neighborhood Scout, Alameda County has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes.
Experts suspect Newsom took a step forward ahead of a possible presidential bid, knowing that the seemingly never-ending crime wave in Oakland could be used against him by rivals if he were to run.
“As you all know, the Governor’s office, along with the Attorney General, has announced that we are partnering with them to address some of the crime activity in Alameda County, particularly Oakland,” Price said at a press conference.
Progressive Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price is sent to prosecutors to help clean up the area’s rising crime rates that have occurred under her watch
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Oakland is “uniquely emerging compared to other urban centers” in the state
Under Price’s leadership, crime has continued to rise, up almost 20 percent in 2023 compared to 2019
“We appreciate that the Governor, together with the Attorney General, has agreed to provide additional resources for the prosecution of violent crimes, as well as primarily narcotics and auto theft crimes.”
Price — who is facing a recall from locals fed up with the population’s declining quality of life — said her office would receive three deputies to be led by one of her prosecutors, Mike Nieto.
The plan follows a pilot in San Francisco and will see the agencies “work together,” Price said. The start date is not yet known.
‘An arrest is not enough. Justice demands that suspects are appropriately prosecuted,” Newsom said.
“Whether it is bipping or carjacking, attempted murder or fentanyl trafficking, individuals must be held accountable for their crimes using the full and appropriate weight of the law.”
The plan comes amid skyrocketing crime rates in the area. Preliminary reports from Oakland indicate that by 2023, violent crime will increase by 21 percent, theft by 38 percent and auto theft by 45 percent.
Videos of violent car jackings have become commonplace. Last summer, a gruesome video surfaced of a woman being pistol-whipped and dragged across the gravel by two thugs as part of a carjacking.
The unidentified woman suffered serious injuries in the attack on International Boulevard, police investigating in the East Bay city said at the time.
An Apple store in Oakland was robbed earlier this week by a customer who snatched several iPhones from their stands. The Bay Area city has become synonymous with rising crime and prosecutors appear unable to tackle it
Oakland’s only In-N-Out Burger has announced it is closing due to a wave of crimes against its customers, including burglaries like this
Last month, Oakland’s only In-N-Out Burger restaurant announced it will close after 18 years, despite still making a healthy profit, because customers and staff are ‘unsafe’ due to rising crime rates, the company said.
It’s the only In-N-Out burger to close in the chain’s 72-year history, with the departure putting even more pressure on Oakland officials, including Mayor Sheng Thao, a progressive who previously voted to defund the police dismantle.
Price was elected district attorney in 2022 on a progressive platform that promised shorter prison sentences, more lenient criminal charges and a refusal to charge juveniles as adults.
A leaked memo in early 2023 detailed how she tried to fulfill her woke campaign promise.
The guidance stated that probation should be the “presumptive offer” during plea negotiations, and that low prison sentences should be offered in cases that do not qualify for probation – although almost every crime in the California penal code is eligible for a probation.
Price herself was the victim of a robbery from her car in October, when thieves made off with her laptop.
Across the bay in San Francisco, progressive prosecutor Chesa Boudin was recalled after similar outrage in 2022. Price now appears to be following his path to infamy.
Newsom’s announcement builds on the deployment of 120 CHP officers earlier this week to the East Bay as part of a law enforcement operation with allied local agencies.
The surge operation is “a multi-pronged approach targeting auto theft, cargo theft, retail crime, violent crime and high-visibility traffic enforcement,” his office said.