Berkeley

Race for Alameda District Attorney Enters Final Stretch

Published

8 years ago

June 1, 2018

Incumbent District Attorney Nancy O’Malley (right) answers a question from Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) along with her opponent, Pamela Price (left), at a townhall forum at St. Columba Catholic Church in Oakland on May 23. Photo by Sarah Carpenter.

The June 5 election for Alameda County district attorney is heating up in the final week before ballots are due.

At a forum for the candidates last week, current DA Nancy O’Malley accused Pamela Price of running a dishonest campaign, while Price emphasized that as district attorney she would bring justice to communities that are desperate for police accountability.

Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) hosted the forum at St. Columba Catholic Church in Oakland on Wednesday, May 23.

Hundreds of Oaklanders attended, filling the seats provided on the ground floor and the small balcony above the entrance. The candidates answered questions from local organizations, then from the audience.

The first audience question asked each candidate to say a quality or characteristic that they appreciate about their opponent. O’Malley said she respected Price’s work as a civil rights lawyer.

Price responded, “I don’t know Miss O’Malley personally, so it’s hard for me to say that there’s a quality or a characteristic about her as a person that I appreciate. What I have heard is that she is a nice person.”

O’Malley focused on her track record as a DA, emphasizing her experience in running a large organization. She has become well known for fighting against the sex trafficking of minors.

O’Malley has been the district attorney since her appointment in 2009. She recently dismissed over 6,000 cannabis convictions, clearing the records of those targeted by the “War on Drugs.”

Price had criticized O’Malley for allotting the public defender a significantly smaller budget than the district attorney’s office. O’Malley explained that the DA has 250 more employees than the public defender, and that she had raised $17 million of her office’s budget herself.

Price pointed out that this is the first time in decades that an Alameda County DA has faced an opponent. “For the first time in 50 years, we have a choice,” she said.

Price grew up in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. She went on to graduate from Yale University and U.C. Berkeley School of Law. Her campaign is focused on protecting immigrant and minority populations from abuses within the criminal justice system.

“This community is desperate for police accountability,” Price said. She has criticized O’Malley for not prosecuting any officer involved in the sexual exploitation of Jasmine Abuslin, an underage sex worker better known as “Celeste Guap,” for obstruction of justice.

O’Malley also accepted large campaign donations from police unions. Price’s campaign has criticized O’Malley for accepting a $10,000 donation from Fremont cops while her office was investigating three officers’ actions in the fatal separate shootings of two people last year.

Price’s message resonated with Demetrius McCray, 21, who reached out to volunteer in her campaign. “It’s really easy to get discouraged by what’s happening in the world, and it’s a rare opportunity that you see someone like her running,” he said. “What she values, what she stands for, it’s all extremely good and genuine.”

In her closing statement, O’Malley quoted New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s commencement speech in which he said the country is plagued with an epidemic of dishonesty. “And I’m sorry to stand here to tell you that’s what’s happening in this campaign, not by me but by my opponent,” O’Malley said.

She is endorsed by a long list of politicians, including Governor Jerry Brown, Mayor Libby Schaaf, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Kamala Harris.

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Related Topics:Alameda County District Attorney

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Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

3 months ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

3 months ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

12 months ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.