Third Way: The Change Alameda County Needs

ABC 7 News

Pamela Price won election to the District Attorney’s office less than a year ago and already faces a recall campaign led by criticisms over her supposed inability to charge criminal defendants harshly. The media and Price’s critics have gotten Price’s approach to criminal justice wrong and have been falsely reporting issues to the public which has further inflamed the recall movement. Price was elected on a progressive campaign, and therefore, works to have a more progressive office. The issues Price attempts to address are far more complex and nuanced than the public understands, leading to criticisms that don’t accurately reflect data. Price needs to be more forthcoming about the media’s falsehoods to her to save her position.

Price’s Platform

Pamela Price won in 2023, beating out a more moderate opponent. She won on a platform of restoring the public’s trust in the criminal justice system, decreasing over policing youth, ending the death penalty, reducing gun violence, holding the police accountable for misconduct, and effective re-entry strategies. This platform carried her to victory. Therefore, it is clear the voters of Alameda County wanted change in the approach to criminal justice. Following her victory, Price wasted no time in implementing significant reforms, including the curtailment of sentencing enhancements, avoiding life without parole sentences, and actively investigating police shootings and jail deaths. Price, herself, having been a self-made woman, former foster child, and the first Black woman elected as DA in Alameda, represented change.

The Reality of Alameda County

When Price was elected, 50% of the people on probation in Alameda County were African American, 82% of those who received life without parole in Alameda were African American and the juveline detention centers were filled with Black and Brown youth. In Alameda, a person of color is 20 times more likely to be incarcerated than a white person These numbers are disproportionate to the number of African Americans in the county, who make up less than 10% of the population. Therefore, Price’s progressive platform centered on correcting these racial disparities. The voters clearly agreed that change was necessary.

Price’s Rationale

While Price has been heavily criticized for her supposed lack of enforcement when it comes to criminal charges, she has gone above and beyond in her role. The media and her recall campaign have portrayed her as soft on criminals and have criticized her for not using enhancements, like weapon or gang enhancements to increase an individual’s sentence. However, her rationale is based on evidence that enhancements are a driver of mass incarceration and incredibly expensive to counties. Further, studies have been shown that enhancements do not decrease crime, rather, they increase a person’s likelihood of returning to jail, making the community less safe. Therefore, Price’s rationale when it comes to sentencing relies on fixing the racial disparities in the system and making the criminal justice system more fair.

Misinformation Corrected

When it comes to individual cases she has been criticized for, Price pushes back against these explanations, explaining that her approach to the high-profile cases is different than what the media is portraying. For example, she has been condemned for not using enhancements on the Jasper Wu case where a 2-year-old was killed by a stray bullet in the middle of a gang shootout. However, she explained that throwing out special circumstances it not the same as throwing out enhancements, despite media portrayal and that both accused defendants face over 120 years in prison for their crimes.

In another highly publicized case, she has been attacked for  dropping charges on a man accused of murdering three people down to a single involuntary manslaughter charge. Here, she explains that with a thorough investigation by her office, there was not enough evidence to convict him on two of the three murders. He had already been held for 8 years and this holding relied on a single confidential informant who produced no real evidence. Clearly, the media and her opponents are falsely portraying her approach to high profile cases in an effort to effectively recall her.

Political Opponents

Pamela Price has claimed that the recall campaign began the minute she took office due to her progressive policies. Huge groups are working against her, and half a million dollars has been raised to take her down. This movement is funded by real estate companies and individuals who work in real estate development and management, and people with ties to the Bay Area tech industry. It is clear that her opponents will stop at nothing to get her removed from office, even going as far as advancing false claims in the hopes she gets recalled.

The Media’s Responsibility

Price’s progressive policies are supported by evidence. Criminal justice reforms have not been proven to be less safe. For example, enhancements costs Californians 7.5 billion a year to and increases their recidivism, making communities less safe. Crime rates have increased everywhere in this country, not just in places where there are progressive District Attorneys. Therefore, the false narrative the media is reporting that Price’s policies are less safe and are not supported by data is dangerous. The media has not rescinded any of the false claims about Price’s cases and that has further increased support for this recall.

Price’s Job

It is clear Price is working to do the job the voters elected her to do. However, right wing donors and advocates are working against her because of her policy choices. Price is facing a serious recall threat given the half a million already raised against her. Her current method of ignoring the criticisms might come at a high price. She must openly reject the false claims made against her to win the public’s favor.

Price has been tasked with correcting the criminal justice system to reflect less racial bias and to be fairer to everyone in Alameda County. Her policies reflect data about rates of recidivism and expenses the citizens must pay. However, since her election, she has dealt with a campaign for her recall funded by big corporations under the guise of public safety. The media has further exacerbated this, promoting false claims regarding specific high-profile cases. Price must work to openly reject these claims to save her job. She must explain to the people of Alameda County that it is her policies, not right wing ones, that work to make a safer Alameda for everyone.