Oakland’s district attorney has vowed to fight against “hate and racism” as she faces a possible recall after just 14 months in power.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is under pressure over rising crime in the dying Bay Area city.
But she claims the campaign against her is “funded by billionaires who have no interest in public safety,” the newspaper said. San Francisco Chronicle.
“I intend to push back against the hatred and racism they have brought to Alameda County,” Price said Friday after a panel discussion with other prosecutors at the University of California, Berkeley.
It comes after she was accused of regularly labeling “the media and Asians” as her enemies in a $1.5 million legal filing.
Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price has vowed to fight against “hate and racism” as she faces a possible recall after just 14 months in power
The Alameda County district attorney is under pressure over rising crime in the dying Bay Area city
Crime has continued to rise under Price’s watch, up nearly 20 percent in 2023 compared to 2019. A woman is pictured being dragged by her bag during a robbery in Oakland.
Price, who previously was a civil rights attorney, became the county’s first Black district attorney when she was elected in 2022.
She pledged to reduce sentences for suspects under 25, tackle police misconduct and end mass incarceration.
But a campaign has been launched to recall her, and her sponsors submitted 123,000 signatures to county election officials on Monday.
The county’s registrar of voters has 10 days to decide whether the petition contains at least 73,000 valid signatures to put the issue on the ballot.
More than $2 million has been raised to remove Price from office, and the largest donation was $390,000 from Oakland resident and financier Phillip Dreyfuss.
The panel at the event was hosted by former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was recalled by the city’s voters in 2022. He was also accused of being soft on crime.
Boudin claimed that he aimed to “reduce the reliance on incarceration as the primary response to social problems.”
But he demanded tougher enforcement against larger companies and gun manufacturers, adding: “In the process, I have made some powerful enemies.”
While Price said, “From Chesa’s experience and my experience, we have become a punching bag. Long sentences do not reduce crime.’
She pointed out how crime in the county had risen under District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, but “after my election, I’m suddenly responsible for things that happened many moons earlier.”
Price, who previously was a civil rights attorney, became the county’s first Black district attorney when she was elected in 2022
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
Price argued that her sentencing policies have not contributed to increased crime and that her office has created a mental health commission and a civil rights office and settled with companies for improper disposal of hazardous waste.
Her comments come after Patti Lee, who worked as Price’s spokesperson for about six months last year until firing her, said the district attorney “constantly and openly” made derogatory comments about Asian Americans.
Her legal claim – a precursor to a lawsuit – alleges she was fired for anti-Asian discrimination, and after complaining about dereliction of duty in the office.
She is seeking a $1.5 million settlement for emotional distress resulting from retaliation, discrimination, wrongful termination and failure to pay wages.
Oakland saw crime increase 21 percent between 2022 and 2023. The number of robberies increased by 38 percent, while car theft increased by 45 percent.
Last year, 15,000 cars were stolen in the dystopian city, meaning that about one in 30 residents had their car stolen.
In-N-Out Burger closed its only restaurant in the city due to a rash of parking lot burglaries — the only closure in the chain’s 70-year history.
A nearby Denny’s also closed, with California Governor Gavin Newsom sending his own prosecutors in an attempt to clean up the mess.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, also progressive, is facing her own recall amid chaos after the city’s reputation crumbled under her watch.