Alameda Co. DA Pamela Price concedes after being recalled by voters: Here's what's next
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Pamela Price conceded as Alameda County's district attorney on Monday after an election to recall her passed by voters.
"The voters have spoken, and while the outcome is not what we hoped for, I respect their decision. In November 2022, Alameda County took a huge step forward toward a better criminal-legal system. Since taking office in January 2023, I fought to bring change to a broken system," Price said in press release.
She continued, "I am heartened knowing that when I leave this office, I will do so immensely proud of the work we've done both to improve the office and move criminal justice reform in Alameda County forward. None of it would have been possible without the dedication of my incredible Executive Leadership team, our dedicated Protect The Win volunteers, and the unwavering support of my family. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. To those who placed their trust in me with your vote, please know that I will never stop fighting for the values we share."
WATCH: Alameda Co. DA Pamela Price speaks after conceding in recall election | FULL VIDEO
The campaign to remove Price from the district attorney's office won with 65.22% in favor and 34.78% opposed in unofficial results.
Price highlighted her successes in bringing justice in high profile cases including the death of TV news security guard Kevin Nishita, the shooting death of toddler Jasper Wu, and the death Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le.
Soon after Price took office, opponents launched a petition drive and ultimately gathered enough signatures to place her name on a recall ballot, maintaining that her progressive reform platform was too soft on criminals and led to increasing crime -- making her the first district attorney in the county's history to face a recall.
Price won the 2022 election with roughly 53% of the vote and became the first African American woman to hold the county's top prosecutor job.
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Recall supporters have collectively spent roughly $2.6 million to remove Price from office via two primary campaign finance committees -- Save Alameda For Everyone and Supporters of Recall Pamela Price, which has significant financial support from several East Bay police officers' unions. Financial supporters include Oakland's and the Deputy Sheriffs Association of Alameda County, along with PG&E and Philip Dreyfuss, a wealthy hedge fund executive and Piedmont resident.
The contentious recall vote is similar to the 2022 vote to remove Chesa Boudin as San Francisco's District Attorney. Both sought to reform the criminal justice system.
Boudin, who now works as the Executive Director of UC Berkeley's Criminal Law and Justice Center, says recalls don't actually get to the core of the issue.
"The thing that's so problematic about recalls is it actually takes away from voters the choice of who represents them," Boudin said. "So the voters didn't get to pick who to replace me when I was recalled and the voters won't get to pick who replaces DA Price."
RELATED: Alameda County Board of Supervisors to begin search for DA Price replacement
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors will choose the next DA.
"Do we need justice reform? Yes, we do," Ken Houston, Community advocate and Oakland councilmember-elect said. "At the same time, we need accountability. I've said this before, we need healthy fear and respect brought back to our community. It's a big responsibility for the supervisors. They've got to pick the right person that's going to unify."
President of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Nate Miley says the board will discuss the matter of replacing the DA on December 10. "There are any number of options. We can put in a placeholder, we can make an appointment, we can have someone serve until June 2026," Miley said.
What's got to be decided is who serves until 2026, when a new election will take place for a DA to serve for the remainder of Price's term until 2028.
Bay City News contributed to this story.
