Alameda County

Report: Pamela Price’s Achievements in First 75 Days as Alameda County DA

The all-volunteer transition team supporting the administration of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has issued a report on the first 75 days of Price’s new administration as she works to implement criminal justice reform, enhance victims’ rights, and overcome the obstacles, disorganization, and inefficiency her administration uncovered when she took over the D.A.’s office in January.

Published

1 year ago

April 3, 2023

Oakland Post

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Y. Price front row center) with her Executive Leadership Team, including Chief Assistant District Attorneys Otis Bruce Jr. and Royl L. Roberts. Photo courtesy of Alameda County D.A.'s Office.

By Ken Epstein

Price made history in November 2022, becoming the first Black woman elected in the county’s history. “She ran on a promise to bring fairness and equality to the justice system…. (which has) left crime victims, with an overrepresentation of people of color, without resolution to their cases…(and) also over criminalized the economically disadvantaged,” the report said.

Some members of the Transition Team of Alameda County’s first Black District Attorney issued a 75-day report highlighting some of her accomplishments. Pictured above left to right Ray Bobbitt, Rev. Dr. Harold Orr, Atty. Walter Riley ,Paola Laverde, Rivka Polatnik and Atty. John Scott. Photo by Jonathanfitnessjones.

She based her reform efforts on the expressed will of Alameda County voters. “Since 2012, the voters of Alameda County have supported criminal justice reforms, such as Prop 36 to reduce the overly harsh penalties of California’s Three-Strikes law, implementing police oversight, and electing reform-minded candidates to other city and county offices,” the transition team’s report said.

The report, released Thursday at a press conference, was prepared by the Communications Committee of Price’s transition team: Barbara Becnel, co-chair; Ray Bobbitt, co-chair; Walter Riley, attorney; John Scott, attorney; and Rev. Harold Orr, M.D.

In an interview with the Oakland Post, Price said she feels particularly good about her efforts to “provide relief to the families and people who were trapped in Santa Rita County jail with no pathway to get mental health services.”

She also has been able to bring on a number of new staff in a short time, “which is unprecedented for this county” and to provide supplies and training for Victims and Witness Advocates. “This is really huge,” she said.

She knows some people want to go back to the old days. “Ms. O’Malley is gone, holding onto the past is not an option,” Price said. “People opposing (these changes) lost the election, but they still want another shot at the apple. However, we’re in the office and doing the work.”

The D.A.’s Office is responsible for prosecuting criminal and specific civil cases for the more than 1.5 million residents in Alameda County. The office operates in nine locations throughout the county’s 800 square miles and is staffed by about 150 attorneys and an inspectors’ division, composed of about 60 experienced peace officers.

Before and after she took office, Price received little support from the previous administration.

“She received little information about office operations, protocols and standards, staff information, and fiscal management. She has worked to fill these gaps in information while maintaining the critical and essential services that the Office provides,” the report says.

“The previous administration departed without providing comprehensive transition support… (though) it was a reasonable expectation to have the previous administration provide transition support for at least 90 days,” the report said.

The failure of the previous district attorney to provide basic information for the new D.A. included:

An up-to-date organizational chart
A current personnel roster
A current budget
Comprehensive reports on the activities of each of the operating units
A current list of the office’s contracts or operating agreements
A current list of the boards, committees, and task forces that the office participates in or is legally required to staff
A tour of the nine facilities that the office operates

Among Price’s key initiatives are support for victims of crime. Her office is improving working conditions and support for Victim-Witness Advocates.

These advocates offer emotional support for crime victims, victims’ rights information, help in finding needed resources and assistance in filling out crime victim-related forms.

“For the first time, the D.A.’s Office will subsidize (advocates’) parking and mileage and (cellphones) … and (sponsor) trauma-informed support training and information about restorative justice strategies for the entire Victim-Witness Advocate workforce.”

To implement fair and equal justice, Price has implemented a policy directive dealing with sentencing enhancements and plea bargains.

“Contrary to a false narrative, D.A. Price did not eliminate sentencing enhancements. She simply requires a case-by-case review of the appropriateness of sentencing enhancement(s) to ensure sentencing balance,” according to the report.

Price’s office has also “expanded the unit responsible for reviewing prior convictions including felony murder and serious crime cases for resentencing under the legislative mandate to eliminate disparity of sentences,” the report said.

The D.A.’s Office is improving technology to enable law enforcement, Child Protective Services, and the D.A.’s Office to share and track reports of child abuse.

Price has also expanded the types of cases pursued by the Consumer Environmental Worker Protection division to protect consumers, workers, tenants, and the environment.

To begin to hold police accountable, the D.A. has “established a protocol for officer-involved shooting reviews and updating the officer-involved shooting policy … (and) expanded the Public Accountability Unit, which announced eight investigations into officer-involved deaths,” the report said.

“In the first 60 days of the new administration, there have been four in-custody deaths at Santa Rita County jail,” the report said. “In addition, the office inherited numerous active cases of misconduct by police or public officials.”

To address mental health issues in communities, “The Office launched a community-based, countywide Mental Health Commission to advise the District Attorney on its response to Alameda County’s mental health crisis,” according to the report.

The Office (has already) “identified at least 37 people found incompetent to stand trial housed at Santa Rita County jail, (in order to) to provide them with services including housing placements and referrals,” the report said.

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Alameda County

Oakland’s New Police Chief Floyd Mitchell Gets to Work

Published

1 week ago

June 7, 2024

Oakland Post

Chief Floyd Mitchell

After spending days attending line-ups to meet Oakland Police Department officers, Oakland’s new police chief made a soft start to his new job at last Saturday’s graduation of a set of recruits. On Monday, his official first day, Chief Floyd Mitchell spoke to the next set of recruits entering the academy at police headquarters and made a statement to visiting members of the media. File photo.

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Alameda County

Called a ‘Miracle’ School, Oakland’s Emiliano Zapata Street Academy Celebrates 50 Years

In 1970, high school graduation rates for Black students in the U.S. were half those of whites. Civil rights protests turned this reality into a big issue and these protests made possible the birth of a truly unique school like the Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy. Over the years, it has been featured in several local news stories, one network touted it as ‘the miracle school located at 417 29th St. And perhaps miraculously, the school will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a community party on Saturday April 27 at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church.

Published

1 week ago

June 7, 2024

Oakland Post

Students at Emiliano Zapata Street Academy hold a community circle for International Women’s Day. Photo by Nick Young.

By Post Staff

Over the years, it has been featured in several local news stories, one network touted it as ‘the miracle school located at 417 29^th St. And perhaps miraculously, the school will celebrate its 50^th anniversary with a community party on Saturday April 27 at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church.

While the system called kids drop-outs, the organizers of the Street Academy said they were actually being pushed out by an impersonal and bureaucratic system. Whereas regular high school students had six or seven classes a day with no adult that really got to know them, the Street Academy created a “consulting teacher” model with one adult for every 20 students.

The consulting teacher would get to know them and their families well and stay with them throughout their years in high school. While other schools had history classes focused through the lens of European accomplishments, Street Academy was the first high school to require that every student take an ethnic studies class

And Street Academy had staff with activist mindsets. Bernard Stringer, the history teacher, for example, had been on strike as a student at San Francisco State. Betsy Schulz had been part of VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) a sort of stateside Peace Corps. Roger Chavarin had been an activist in the Latino community.

As a result, many of the students have shown a desire to help the community and Street Academy graduates have had an impact within and beyond the school. Ze Segundo and Corrina Gould worked for the American Friends Service Committee. Gould later became a leader of the Ohlone people and has led in the repatriation of Ohlone land through her organization, the Segorea Te Land Trust

Ana Guadalupe Aviles graduated in 1990 and became a bilingual mental health therapist and a member of the Street Academy board. Bukola (Lara) Lawal and Jaron Epstein graduated from Street Academy, went to college, and returned to the school as educators.

The staff has influenced other schools as well. Gina Hill and Monica Vaughan worked at the Street Academy for many years and carried its practices into their new leadership responsibilities at Alameda County and the Oakland Unified School District level.

Street Academy also has a unique travel club: Students have visited Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti and France. This year, some students are going to Italy.

The school has had many “angels” over the years, people who went out of their way to make sure the school survived. Former school board members, Sylvester Hodges and Peggy Stinnett, now deceased, were pivotal, as were the owners and publishers of this newspaper, Gay and Paul Cobb.

Several television networks have aired shows about the Street Academy. One of them referred to it as the “Miracle School.” The ‘Miracle School’ celebrates its 50th birthday this year

The 50^th anniversary celebration will be at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, 521 29^th St., in Oakland from 1-5 p.m. Web site – https://www.streetacademy.online/

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price Is Considering Legal Action If Recall Makes It to Ballot

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced Monday that they had certified the required number of signatures to trigger a recall election against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Recall supporters submitted 123,374 signatures before the March 5 deadline, although only needing 73,195 valid signatures to trigger a special election. After the Registrar of Voters (ROV) was unable to verify the needed amount through a random sampling, they proceeded to manually count the signatures, which resulted in 74,757 signatures verified.

Published

1 week ago

June 7, 2024

Oakland Post

Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE), one of the two primary recall groups, celebrated their success in a press release Monday afternoon, stating they were “thrilled” for reaching this milestone towards ensuring “accountability and transparency in the District Attorney’s office.”

By Magaly Muñoz

The Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced Monday that they had certified the required number of signatures to trigger a recall election against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.

Recall supporters submitted 123,374 signatures before the March 5 deadline, although only needing 73,195 valid signatures to trigger a special election. After the Registrar of Voters (ROV) was unable to verify the needed amount through a random sampling, they proceeded to manually count the signatures, which resulted in 74,757 signatures verified.

“We are confident that this grassroots movement will pave the way for positive change and a brighter future for all residents and businesses in Alameda County,” Carl Chan, SAFE’s Principal Officer, said in the statement.

Brenda Grisham, the other primary officer of SAFE, told the Post that they’re excited that the efforts of the volunteers and all involved with the campaign are paying off

“Our effort is just about public safety. Our main focus is keeping the citizens of Alameda County safe,” Grisham said.

SAFE initiated its efforts only seven months into Price’s administration, a point that Grisham made when discussing how long Price had to prove herself in the District Attorney role.

She claimed that Price had six months to meet with families of victims and prosecute perpetrators of those crimes to the fullest extent of the law, but instead chose to do the opposite and not protect the people in the community as crime and concerns for public safety continue to rise.

SAFE is calling on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to schedule a special election no later than 125 days after their meeting later this month.

But despite the celebration from the recall proponents, Price’s legal team says that the DA is “not happy” with the Registrar of Voters.

Jim Sutton, legal counsel for Price, told the Post that they deem the recall process to be illegal by not following the clear guidance of the county charter to recall local officials.

The county charter states that the ROV has 10 days to verify signatures, which ultimately took nearly six weeks after the random sampling method failed. Additionally, the Board of Supervisors has to appropriate money to the ROV to hire staff in order to make the 10-day deadline, which Sutton claims they did not.

ROV officials did not respond for comment, as staff were instructed to tell the media to refer to the latest update until new information was released.

Sutton talked to the Alameda County Counsel office about the deadline, but claims they gave a “very convoluted” explanation for why they don’t have to comply with the 10 days.

Sutton added that many of the circulators of the recall petition were from outside of the county, incentivized by the high payout per signature. He says that this action also violates county charter as circulators need to be residents of Alameda County.

The county charter requires a “qualified elector” to circulate the petition, but also states that the United States Supreme Court has previously ruled that this requirement is an “unconstitutional limitation on protected expressive activity.” The charter says because of this ruling, it will follow the state requirements, which only stipulates that a person must be 18 years or older to circulate a petition.

According to Sutton, Price will be asking the Board of Supervisors to not put the election on the ballot based on these alleged illegalities.

When asked if her team will be pursuing legal action should the Board approve the special election, Sutton said, “if the board does schedule the election, [Price] will consider all of her legal options.”

Members on the Board of Supervisors did not respond for comment at the time of publication.

The Board of Supervisors will meet on April 30 to consider the approval of the certificate of sufficiency for the signatures and the date of the special election.