Alameda County recalls DA Pamela Price

2–3 minutes

Alameda County residents overwhelmingly vote in favor of the recall

Staff Writer

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has been overwhelmingly recalled by voters, marking the first time in Alameda County’s history that a district attorney has been recalled. According to the official Alameda County election results at the time of publication, about 63 percent of people voted to recall Price.

Several family members of victims of violent crime have voiced their support for the recall. In an interview with KQED, Erika Galavis, the aunt of two Berkeley teenage brothers killed at a house party in North Oakland in 2022, said “I want her to leave the office so we can get a little bit more justice for the victims. Right now, she’s not doing her job as a DA. Right now, she’s letting a lot of criminals go.” According to KQED, “Price neglected to press charges against two of the suspects in the case.”

In addition to Galavis, several other victims of crime have been impacted by Price’s crime policies, which critics argue are too lenient. Despite Price’s efforts to emphasize justice and equity through her policies, many voters have expressed dissatisfaction with their progressive nature.

According to a report from KTVU, every police union in Alameda County went on the record to support the recall efforts. As reported by The San Francisco Chronicle, the Alameda County Police Unions said in a joint statement, “Unfortunately, as peace officers who work in Alameda County, we have seen the revolving door of our justice system—justified in the name of ‘reform.’ We see the same people, committing the same crimes, getting arrested repeatedly only to be released back into our communities to victimize more of our citizens. We cannot use reform rhetoric to allow criminals to continue victimizing our citizens with little to no consequences.”

Several people have voiced against the recall. An article by The Independent, a tri-valley based news organization, said, “[Price] is a believer in restitution, rehabilitation and alternatives to incarceration in mental health courts…Perhaps, not every single decision turns out to be appropriate…but that doesn’t justify a recall.”

Teachers have also explained their views on the recall. Mr. Arora, a Government and Economics teacher, said, “The Board of Supervisors will appoint her successor [who will] serve out the rest of [Price’s] term. When she was elected in 2022, there was a different political mood in the air, and now we are seeing a reversal in that. We have generally seen a removal of incumbents in this election, so we have seen dissatisfaction with our current leaders.”

When addressing the opposition to the recall, Mr. Arora said, “I am aware that the Pamela Price campaign views this as undemocratic, I actually think it is the opposite. I think this is the most democratic thing we can do. People have the right to recall elected officials. The people gathering signatures got the certain amount they needed, and it went on the ballot and people voted affirmatively to remove her.”