New Alameda County DA Ursula Jones Dickson talks about her approach to prosecuting crime

Bay City News logo
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
New Alameda Co. DA Ursula Jones Dickson talks about her goals
New Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson talks about her approach to prosecuting crime and the year ahead.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Alameda County Board of Supervisors selected Superior Court Judge Ursula Jones Dickson as the county's new district attorney at the end of a nearly four-hour special meeting Tuesday.

Supervisors hope Dickson can be sworn by Feb. 4, depending on her schedule, to take over for Royl Roberts, who was the right-hand-man to former district attorney Pamela Price, who was ousted in a recall election last November.

RELATED: Alameda Co. DA Pamela Price concedes after being recalled by voters: Here's what's next

"I'm just humbled. I'm happy and I'm humbled and I just want to get to work for the people of Alameda County in a different capacity," Jones Dickson said.

While Price's short, roughly two-year tenure has often been criticized for being embroiled in infighting and the demands of a bitter recall election, Dickson said she intends to avoid similar pitfalls.

"I'm appreciative to Ms. Price for opening a door. And, so, although our politics are very different and the way we view the criminal justice system is different," Dickson said.

Dickson, who spent several years as an Alameda County deputy district attorney before being appointed to the Superior Court, said she will "make sure we tamp down all of this political rhetoric about this office. This office was never this political, it should never be."

She also says she will work to restore trust and also strive to make public safety a top priority.

"We need to be charging cases in a timely manner. We need to have communication with victims on every case. We need to respect Marsy's Law. And to make sure that the prosecution is victim centered," she said.

Dickson also went on to say serious crimes need to have consequences, while some others may need to have intervention.

Before making their selection, the board took hours of public comment from roughly 100 people, many of whom lobbied for one or more of the seven candidates who had made it to the final round of the selection process.

Many speakers endorsed Dickson and Annie Esposito, currently a Contra Costa County assistant district attorney and a former Alameda County senior assistant district attorney, who said she'd be willing to take a job under Dickson if she herself wasn't appointed.

RELATED: Process of choosing new Alameda County district attorney now underway

Most of those speakers appeared affiliated or allied with the recall organizers, Save Alameda for Everyone, whose leadership painted Price as soft on crime and promised electoral retribution if the supervisors' selection displeased them.

Many other speakers urged supervisors to select someone who is committed to the county's own policies that prioritize finding diversion programs and other alternatives to incarceration where appropriate, including for low-level defendants and people struggling with mental illness, addiction or homelessness.

One speaker, Jason Quinn, president of the Alameda County Prosecutors' Association, didn't endorse a specific applicant but said the office needs someone who can "realign the hearts and minds of prosecutors."

"We are defeated, we are underappreciated, we are incredibly behind on the work," Quinn said, adding that many prosecutors in the office need robust training and mentoring.

"Consider a leader both that knows how to handle proving people guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and protecting constitutional rights," he said.

Supervisors praised all of the candidates, with Supervisor David Haubert saying it was one of the most difficult decisions he's ever had to make and Supervisor Nate Miley likening it to picking between family members.

MORE: Interim Alameda County DA hopes to turn page, ensure public safety after recall of Pamela Price

Supervisor Lena Tam called the process "grueling" and thanked the applicants for sticking with it while saying she wanted to ensure that the current pressing needs of the county prosecutor's office are being met.

"Immigrant rights are being threatened, when we clearly need to have a D.A.'s office that understands the needs and concerns of the victims and their families," Tam said. "We need to have a D.A.'s office that is well-managed, that does get back to basics, that has prosecutorial experience."

Dickson was selected after three rounds of voting by supervisors Tuesday, winning the job over Yibin Shen, city attorney for the city of Alameda; Latricia Louis, Alameda County's deputy county counsel and a former Alameda County assistant district attorney; Elgin Lowe, a long time prosecutor and senior deputy district attorney in Alameda County; Jimmie Wilson, a deputy district attorney in Alameda County; Venus Johnson, chief deputy attorney general with the California Department of Justice and former chief assistant district attorney in Contra Costa County; and Esposito.

The seven finalists were selected by supervisors out of a field of 15 applicants during a special Jan. 16 meeting, and on Jan. 21 supervisors interviewed all seven during a public hearing.

Now that Dickson is firmly ensconced as the county's top prosecutor, she will only serve until the next regularly scheduled election in 2026. But she says she plans on running for re-election that year and the years after.

"If we can just get back to the basics, I believe that people will feel a little more comfortable with their justice system," Dickson said.

The winner of that 2026 election will serve the rest of Price's term, which was extended to 2028 by a recent change in state law.

ABC7 News reporter Tim Johns contributed to this report.

Now Streaming 24/7 Click Here
Copyright 2025 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, re-transmission or reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. Is prohibited.