City Government

Contra Costa County DA Diana Becton Speaks at Golden Gate University School of Law Commencement

Published

5 years ago

May 29, 2019

Golden Gate University School of Law featured Contra Costa County District Attorney and alumna Diana Becton as the keynote speaker at its recent commencement program held at Davies Symphony Hall.

In her inspiring commencement speech, Becton reminisced about her own GGU School of Law graduation in 1985, when commencement speaker Chief Justice Rose Bird counseled graduates to “do what is right, even if it is unpopular.” Echoing that advice, Becton continued, “Whether you become a district attorney, go into private practice, become an advocate for public interest, or a public defender, you have a unique opportunity to take on big problems, to stand up for the voiceless, to seek truth, and to seek justice and equality for all.”

Becton is the first woman, first African-American and first person of color to serve as Contra Costa County district attorney since the office was established in 1850.

She was sworn in as the county’s 25th district attorney, after being appointed by the Board of Supervisors in September 2017, and was subsequently elected in 2018.

Before that, she served as a judge in Contra Costa County for 22 years, where she was elected as presiding judge.

Among her many awards, she was honored earlier this year with the Golden Gate University Judith McKelvey Distinguished Service Award for her trailblazing contributions to the legal profession, along with two other GGU Law graduates who also serve as local DA’s— (Nancy O’Malley, JD ’83, Alameda County District Attorney, and Lori Frugoli, JD, ’89, Marin County District Attorney.)

Golden Gate University School of Law Dean Anthony Niedwiecki, JD, LLM comments, “GGU has always been dedicated to diversifying the profession and opening up legal education to those from underrepresented groups. At GGU, we were admitting women much earlier than other institutions, and Diana comes from that period. She is one of the new progressive DA’s in the country who seeks to use this position to make meaningful changes in racial justice, social justice, and prison reform. As an outstanding role model, she perfectly exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking lawyers that GGU Law produces.”

Established in 1901, Golden Gate University is a non-profit private institution that has been helping adults achieve their professional goals by providing high quality, practice-based undergraduate and graduate educational programs in law, taxation, business and related professions in a learning environment that embraces professional ethics, diversity and innovation.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

2 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

6 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.