Voters to decide recall of Alameda County DA Pamela Price

(KRON) -- Alameda County voters will decide whether District Attorney Pamela Price is recalled from office. It's a pivotal moment for the future of how criminal cases are prosecuted in courtrooms. 

Price is a former defense and civil rights attorney. Her term as DA runs through the end of 2028. She promised criminal justice reforms and a "new era at the DA’s Office" when she was elected with 53 percent of the vote in 2022.

She is the first-ever Black woman to serve as the county’s top prosecutor. When she was sworn in, Price said her leadership would ensure progressive justice for diverse communities.

Price's progressive reforms include pursuing alternatives to prison time, addressing racial disparities, holding "rogue cops" accountable, expanding mental health diversion services, and prosecuting more domestic violence cases.

She championed the Family Justice Center to support families who have experienced domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and elder abuse. Price also created the Mental Health Commission to shape how prosecutors handle cases in which mental illness is a factor. Price said "responsible justice" and care for defendants with mental health issues provides "alternatives to mass incarceration."

Price's campaign team, Protect the Win, wrote, "DA Price is delivering on her promise to reform the system," her campaign team wrote. Protect the Win said charges have been filed in 12,000 cases during Price's tenure.

Critics say Price is soft on crime, lenient on criminals, and mishandled several high-profile murder cases, including cases for victims Jasper Wu, Kevin Nishita, and Blake Mohs. Nishita's widow said she has no faith that Price’s office will seek a maximum punishment for her late husband's killers. "She needs to be recalled," the widow previously told KRON4.

Mohs, 26, was working as a loss prevention officer at Home Depot in Pleasanton when a shoplifter fatally shot him. Nishita was slain while he was providing security for one of KRON4’s reporters in Oakland. One-year-old Jasper was riding in his family’s car on Interstate-880 in Oakland when he was was killed in crossfire from a gun battle between rival gangs.

None of the three cases have moved forward to murder trials. The Nishita and Jasper cases are pending. The Mohs case was resolved with a plea deal when the killer pleaded no contest to second-degree murder.

Several veteran trial prosecutors left once Price took control of the office. One of those prosecutors, Butch Ford, wrote in a 2023 letter to Price, "You have abandoned the victims of crime in this county. Your policies have led to violent offenders celebrating the lack of consequences in Alameda County and our communities are suffering."

The recall is appearing on the ballot because of a campaign launched by Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE). The group gathered 123,000 signatures, and the board of supervisors approved putting the recall on the November ballot. SAFE organizers wrote, "SAFE is confident the majority of voters in Alameda County no longer accept the soft-on-crime District Attorney Pamela Price."

The vast majority of police officers' unions in the county support the recall. Congressman Eric Swalwell, a former prosecutor for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, said, "The cops catch and Price releases."

The county's former district attorney, Nancy O'Malley, said Price is dishonest and unqualified to hold public office.

Price's campaign team said, "O'Malley backs the recall ... to defend the broken system she helped create. O'Malley is back to protecting the status quo, joining an undemocratic effort to reverse the will of the people." The Alameda County Democratic Party opposes the recall.

There are more than 960,000 registered voters in Alameda County, according to the Registrar of Voters.

If Price is ousted by voters, the Board of Supervisors will appoint a replacement. The appointed-DA will serve until the next election in November of 2026. Whoever wins the 2026 election will serve out the remaining two years of Price's term.