Court filing: 'Pamela Price would not be happy' about dismissing case against Juarez
Latest court filing details Price's intense interest in her political rival's case; Choose your own adventure: Bas vs. Bauters; The candidate running for five offices could win four of them
ELECTION 2024
4 days to Election Day
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
—MICRO-MANAGING—Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price “would not be happy” if the check fraud case against Oakland businessman and political insider Mario Juarez was dismissed, according to supplemental exhibits filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Thursday.
—In an email, dated March 7, then-chief assistant district attorney Otis Bruce, Jr. indicated to deputy district attorneys that Price wanted no decisions made about Juarez’s case without her input.
—“Please keep us notified about the status of this case—any plea negotiations or discussions—before any offer is extended by our [District Attorney’s Office]. DA Price wants to be notified about the status of the case,” Bruce wrote.
—A summary of a conversation with Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Angelina Clay is also included in the latest filing.
—Clay said the internal handling of the Juarez case was unorthodox. “The instructions to run all decisions on the case through Mr. Bruce seemed strange, as he had. never done this before on one of Ms. Clay’s cases,” according to the exhibit.
—Another deputy district attorney, Brigitte Lowe, brought Clay’s concerns to Bruce, according to the summary.
—“Mr. Bruce told Ms. Lowe not to do anything—like dismiss the case—because DA Pamela Price would not be happy with that. Mr. Bruce told Ms. Lowe, who then told Ms. Clay, not to do anything on the case until you hear from him.”
—Bruce left the DA’s office in late June.
—Juarez is accused of passing bad checks for postage involving infamous mailers that attacked Loren Taylor and Ignacio De La Fuente, two of Sheng Thao’s opponents in the 2022 Oakland mayoral race, .
—A motion to dismiss the case was filed by Juarez’s attorney on Oct. 10, arguing Price retaliated against Juarez after he dismissed what he believed was a shake down for a $25,000 donation to the campaign committee opposing her recall.
—Juarez understood Price was offering to drop the pending case against him in exchange for the large campaign contribution.
—The conversation between Price and Juarez occurred on Jan. 7, according to the filing. The check fraud charge against Juarez was filed on Jan. 23.
—JOIN US FOR THE EPISODE 100 LIVE RECORDING. GET YOUR FREE TICKETS HERE!
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - DISTRICT 5
—CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE—How will the Alameda County Board of Supervisors look after the November election?
—We should start with its leadership. Supervisor David Haubert, who represents the Tri-Valley and Fremont in District 1, is slated to become board president in January. Haubert and Miley typically vote the same, so the stewardship of the board will likely not change very much.
—Also keep watch on Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi. She’s been the glue keeping the county together for decades. Last month, the Board of Supervisors voted to name the county building in downtown Oakland after Muranishi, a move that feels like a parting gift to the influential long-time public servant.
IF BAUTERS WINS
It’s unclear at this point how much change John Bauters’ election to the District 5 seat represents. His positions during the campaign have been somewhat amorphous. His shift on the DA Pamela Price recall from the primary to today, along with his flirtation with housing providers suggests a slight movement to the right of Supervisor Keith Carson’s pragmatic progressivism. The most contentious issue facing the Board of Supervisors is tenant protections for the unincorporated areas. Housing providers currently have a clear 3-2 majority on the issue, with Carson currently in the minority. Regardless of his position on tenant protections, Bauters election will not shift the board, but it could further strengthen housing providers’ hand through the 2028 election. Bauters’ alpha personality might become the most noticeable change for a board that traditionally runs on seniority. It’s unlikely that Bauters will be seen and not heard like the first few years following Haubert’s election to the board.
IF BAS WINS
Nikki Fortunato Bas’ election to the Board of Supervisors would likely bring vastly more change, but unlikely to shift the board in any direction. Like Bauters, Bas’ would merely replace Carson’s votes on many issues. On the issue of tenant protections, while Bas would not be able to flip the 3-2 majority from housing providers, her activism for renters brings an enormous amount of new energy to the issue, and much-needed guidance for tenants’ advocates in the unincorporated areas. This is why Bas represents an existential threat to housing providers, forcing them to Bauters, someone they feel is clearly the lesser of two evils. Meanwhile, Bas’ election would give the Board of Supervisors a female majority just two years after all of five supervisors were men, in addition to adding a second Asian American to the dais. Bas also poses problems for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office on several fronts. Recall that Bas was an architect of Oakland’s Defund the Police movement. On the campaign trail, Bas has made it clear she intends to hold the sheriff accountable for operations at Santa Rita Jail and oppose plans to expand the facility.
DOWN BALLOT
—OFFICE STUFFING—Two candidates in down-ballot East Bay races are running for multiple offices this November.
—Luis Reynoso (5)
Chabot-Las Positas Community College District-Area 1 (*-incumbent)
Hayward school board
Eden Health District
Hayward Area Recreation & Park District
Oro Loma Sanitary District
—Joe Grcar (3)
BART-District 5
Hayward Area Recreation & Park District
Chabot-Las Positas Community College District-Area 4
—Candidates can, indeed, run for multiple offices. In fact, Grcar successfully petitioned the California Secretary of State’s office last spring to acknowledge the state constitution is silent on the matter.
—Grcar was not allowed to run in the East Bay’s 9th State Senate District and 20th Assembly District primaries last March, leading to the complaint in Sacramento Superior Court.
—However, what happens if a candidate successfully wins more than one office is another story.
—In 2020, Reynoso won re-election to his seat on the Hayward school board, in addition to the Area 1 seat on the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District board. In this case, the question of incompatible offices comes into play.
—The Hayward Unified School District declared the school board seat and community college board seat was incompatible. When Reynoso did not respond to their declaration, the school board began the process of removing him from office. Reynoso was later sworn-in at the Chabot-Las Positas board.
—The Hayward school district’s decision, however, was their own interpretation of incompatibility of offices.
—If a similar scenario occurs this November, the next move is essentially based on the jurisdiction declaring the candidate incompatible and whether the candidate chooses to challenge the decision in the courts.
—OUTLOOK—Does Reynoso have a shot at winning multiple races? Yes.
—He has a legitimate shot at four of the five. Reynoso is well-known among Hayward’s large Latino community, and he’s won here before—three races for the Hayward school board, in addition to the Chabot-Las Positas seat.
—Based on the composition of the five contests, the Oro Loma Sanitary District race might be the toughest to win since it includes more of unincorporated Alameda County and San Leandro, areas that may have never seen Reynoso’s name on a ballot.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
—💰MONEYBALL—Form 497 large campaign contributions filed on Oct. 31:
ALAMEDA COUNTY
RECALLS
—Re-invest in Fair Elections, Oppose the Recall of District Attorney Price, Sponsored by Center for Empowered Politics (Oppose Price recall), Oakland Rising Committee, $30,000. TOTAL: $30,000.
—Fxk Yo Recalls, Opposing the Recalls of Thao & Price (Opposing recalls), Progressive Era PAC, $5,000. TOTAL: $5,000.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
—Nikki Fortunato Bas (District 5), Koi Saechao of Oakland, $4,000; Steven Ma of Danville, $2,500; Steve Chou of Concord, $2,500; Angelica Jongco of Oakland, $1,000. TOTAL: $10,000.
EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT
—Casey Farmer (Ward 2), Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County PAC, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
—Luana España (Ward 4), Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County PAC, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
CITIES
OAKLAND
—Zac Unger (Oakland City Council-District 1), Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County PAC, $1,200. TOTAL: $1,200.
—Noel Gallo (Oakland City Council-District 5), Saba Poultry 1 Corp, $1,000. TOTAL: $1,000.
—Rachel Latta (Oakland USD-District 1), Peralta Federation of Teachers COPE, $1,200. TOTAL: $1,200.
—Fix Our City Oakland, Supporting Fife for City Council + Richardson for City Attorney 2024 (Supporting Fife, Richardson), Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County PAC, $5,000. TOTAL: $5,000.
STATE LEGISLATURE
STATE SENATE
—Jesse Arreguin (7th Senate District), Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, LLC, $3,000; California Permanente Medical Groups PAC, $1,500. TOTAL: $4,500.
—Tim Grayson (9th Senate District), California Land Title Association PAC, $3,000; Clean Energy, $2,000; California Permanente Medical Groups PAC, $1,500; Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, LLC, $1,000. TOTAL: $7,500.
—Jerry McNerney (5th Senate District), SEIU United Healthcare Workers West PAC, $5,500; California Almond Industry PAC, $2,000. TOTAL: $7,500.
STATE ASSEMBLY
—Buffy Wicks (14th Assembly District), Elevance Health, Inc. and its affiliate Anthem Blue Cross, $5,500; Airlines for America, $2,500. TOTAL: $8,000.
—Mia Bonta (18th Assembly District), Elevance Health, Inc. and its affiliate Anthem Blue Cross, $5,500. TOTAL: $5,500.
—Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (16th Assembly District), Turo, Inc., $3,500. TOTAL: $3,500.
STATEWIDE
—Rob Bonta for CA Attorney General 2026, California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Local PAC, $10,000; Teamsters Local Union 350 PAC, $5,000; Vivid Seats, LLC, $5,000. TOTAL: $20,000.
—🧾EXPENDITURES—Form 496 Independent Expenditure Reports filed on Oct. 31.
CITIES
OAKLAND
—Carroll Fife (Oakland City Council-District 3), Together for Oakland's Families, Supporting Warren Logan and Opposing Carroll Fife for City Council 2024. OPPOSE (Mailer—$7,180; Billboards—$6,383). TOTAL: $13,563. ELEX TOTAL: $38,564
—Carroll Fife (Oakland City Council-District 3), California Real Estate Independent Expenditure Committee. OPPOSE (Mailer—$15,482). TOTAL: $15,482. ELEX TOTAL: $146,795.
—Warren Logan (Oakland City Council-District 3), Together for Oakland's Families, Supporting Warren Logan and Opposing Carroll Fife for City Council 2024. SUPPORT (Mailer—$7,180). TOTAL: $7,180. ELEX TOTAL: $152,146.
