Police Unions in Alameda County Unite, Call For Pamela Price's Recall
Alameda County District Pamela Price, who is facing a recall vote on this November's ballot, now has the opposition of all 14 police unions in the county.
At a press conference in Emeryville that was held on Saturday, the police unions announced in a joint statement that they are all in favor of having Price recalled, sharply rebuking her for being soft on repeat offenders.
"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,'" the statement read.
This is just the latest call for her removal among a list of several key East Bay institutions who have done so in the months leading up to the vote. Rep. Eric Swalwell, who represents the East Bay in Congress and once publicly fought with Price on X , voiced his endorsement of the recall to the media on Wednesday. The prosecutors's union voted "overwhelmingly" to support her ouster in June, and the California Association of Realtors has donated $50,000 to the recall campaign.
For those paying attention, the police unions backing Price's removal may not be a surprise. In addition to a percieved lenience on criminals, she has previously hired an Oakland Deputy Chief who was previously terminated for misconduct as one of her top investigators, and revived previously dropped charges against three police officers under dubious legal circumstances.
The campaign to remove Price began in earnest a mere six months into her tenure, collecting 74,000 verified signatures over the following 10 months. It followed a similar 2022 campaign that sucessfully recalled San Francisco's District Attorney, Chesea Boudin, who followed a progressive approach to criminal justice that closely resembles Price's. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is also facing a recall this November, over similar concerns that she has mishandled public safety.
"DA Price didn't do her job. And she continues not to do her job," said Lorie Mohs, a leader of the effort to remove Price at Swalwell's press conference on Wednesday
Price has said on multiple occasions that she feels the campaign to remove her is being motivated by racial bias. She points to the fact that Nancy O'Malley, who served as her predecessor for 13 years and is white, never faced the same level of criticism for rises in crime rates during her term in office.
"People have always denigrated Oakland," Price told The Intercept in May. "Now I think there's the racism associated with putting my face as the Black face of Oakland, when in fact I'm not the mayor of Oakland, [and] I'm not the police chief of Oakland. But it serves a purpose."
