Pamela Price shows the door to three deputy DAs
Oakland councilmember received threatening voicemails; Wahab takes oath in Fremont
“The greatest challenge to my leadership and to the changes that I want to bring to Alameda County, as the only progressive prosecutor in this race, is the system itself. That they don’t want change. That they don’t want to acknowledge that we have to have change.”
—Pamela Price in January 2022.
—BLOODLETTING BEGINS—In yet another example of Pamela Price unwaveringly following through on her promises to voters, the new district attorney began a promised purge at the Alameda County DA’s office last week.
—Within weeks of taking office, Price placed three deputy district attorneys on paid leave, and fired two high-level inspectors, according to the East Bay Times.
—The swift action begins the clearing out of leadership from former Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley’s office.
—Price had made it a pillar of her runs for DA in 2018 and last year. Four years ago, Price famously used an expletive to underscore her desire as DA to clean house.
—Her opponent last November, Terry Wiley, recounted the scene during the campaign by telling a surprised audience that “Ms. Price and her team went up to a group of our DAs and said, ‘We’re going to fire all you motherf—kers.’”
—The dramatic moves were greeted with much praise by progressives, who believe wholesale change is required at the DA’s office in order to enact meaningful criminal justice reform.
—It remains unclear at this early stage, how lesser progressive communities in East and South County react. However, Price’s win last November revealed surprising pockets of support in these areas.
—In recent weeks, Price also made waves by removing special circumstances charges for the alleged killer of two Fremont women and in the case of Michaela Garecht, the eight-year-old who kidnapped 34 years ago in Hayward and whose remains have never been found.
—WAHAB TAKES CENTER STAGE IN SD10—State Sen. Aisha Wahab had just finished receiving the oath of office from her predecessor Bob Wieckowski in Fremont on Friday night, when streams of Afghan American woman, with pride in their eyes, walked on stage to hug the new state senator. Wahab grinned as the impromptu moment threw the planned proceedings for a brief loop.
—Wahab took the oath of office in Sacramento on Dec. 4, but Friday’s event at a packed house in Fremont was an opportunity for constituents in the 10th State Senate District to witness the swearing
-in of the first Afghan American legislator in state history.
—The proceedings includes remarks from state Attorney General Rob Bonta, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, and Assemblymember Liz Ortega, among other dignities.
—About one-quarter of the Fremont Downtown Event Center appeared to be elected officials from all over Central and Southern Alameda County, in addition, to some from the Santa Clara County portion of the sprawling district. A few Republicans even showed up.
—ADEM BALLOT CONFUSION—If you thought the confusion and controversy surrounding last November’s election in the East Bay was bad, the state Democratic Party Assembly District Election Meetings, known as ADEMS, may be soon saying, “hold my beer.”
—Quite a number of Bay Area Democrats are issuing concerns about the new balloting system, which includes old school Scantron forms. Don’t forget your PIN number!
—The biannual election allows local Democrats to select seven females and seven non-females to give their input in the direction of the statewide party. Voting for ADEMS ends on Jan. 31.
CITY NEWS
OAKLAND
—THREATENING VOICEMAILS—Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife posted on Twitter on Monday threatening voicemails she received from individuals who appeared to be a out-of-state callers or, at least, not people from the Bay Area.
—The callers all reference their perception that Fife is soft on crime and supports defunding the police.
—There was an outpouring of support for Fife following her Twitter thread on Monday night, including a tweet from Loren Taylor, the former Oakland mayoral candidate. But Fife only grudgingly accepted his support and blamed him for the vitriolic messages.
—“I somewhat appreciate this post Loren but to frame this as nat'l politics doesn't acknowledge the local aspect of this violence,” Fife tweeted back. “This all began with lies from people associated with you. Will you stand with me in directly addressing this misogyny and racism?”
—MLK DAY—Not to be outdone, former Oakland mayoral candidate Seneca Scott appeared on Fox News with Tucker Carlson last night to chat about the controversial Martin Luther King, Jr. monument unveiled in Boston.
—Scott, who is a cousin of Coretta Scott King, blasted the monument, and told Carlson that the U.S. government killed MLK.