Jump in, the water's fine

A number of candidates could boost their campaigns by joining Swalwell in backing the Price recall; IE supporting recall is pouring money into the campaign, along with help from two police unions

Rep. Eric Swalwell with families impacted by violent crime at a press conference in Hayward on Wednesday.

ELECTION 2024

32 days to Election Day.

📬3 days until vote-by-mail ballots are sent

PRICE RECALL

—MORE THE MERRIER—Alameda County elected officials have been extremely reticent about taking a stand on the recall of District Attorney Pamela Price. The same scenario is seen in Oakland with the recall of Mayor Sheng Thao.

—But the lasting impression of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s endorsement of the recall campaign against Price is whether local elected officials are emboldened to join him.

—It’s no secret that Price is unpopular among local elected officials across the county. Part of the dislike may follow residents in their communities expressing great concern with crime and a perception that Price is doing little to fix the issue.

—According to hundreds of conversations I’ve had over the past two years with elected officials across the county, many find her arrogance oft-putting and her methods self-serving.

—Price’s personality, conversely, has made many elected officials think twice about formally supporting the recall, fearing the type of retribution that she attempted to lob toward Swalwell on Wednesday.

—That being said, there’s a few candidates in the Tri-Valley and Tri-Cities that could give their campaigns a boost by riding Swalwell’s recall coattails:

PLEASANTON: This is not Price territory and the public is worried about public safety. Neither of the mayoral candidates—Mayor Karla Brown and Councilmember Jack Balch—are Democrats. Why not endorse the Price recall?

UNION CITY: Mayoral candidate Gary Singh is a Democrat who serves on the Union City Council, but his popularity among Alameda County Central Committee members has never been high. There shouldn’t be too much blowback in a city, like its neighbors, that is worried about the overall rise in crime.

FREMONT: Mayoral candidate Raj Salwan has a high-risk, high-reward situation if he were to endorse the Price recall. In what is already a taut race against Vinnie Bacon, Salwan could differentiate himself with his former council rival.

Bacon’s wife, former Fremont Councilmember Jenny Kassan, works in Price’s DAs office. In addition, Bacon signed the original Alameda County Central Committee resolution back in August 2023 to oppose the then-nascent Price recall.

However, there’s residual risks for Salwan. Unlike Singh in Union City, Salwan has built a strong relationship with the Alameda County Democratic Party for more than a decade (even though they once tried to censure him for supporting Fremont Mayor Lily Mei).

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