Precedent?

DA Price must recuse herself from prosecution of her rival. Could a similar case involving another political opponent find the same result? Plus, more campaign finance numbers and analysis

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price

COUNTY NEWS

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

—PRICE RECUSAL—A panel of appellate judges upheld a superior court ruling last week that Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price must recuse herself from the prosecution of her political rival, former Alameda County prosecutor Butch Ford.

—The ruling could have ramifications for a similar case involving another rival, Oakland businessman and political insider Mario Juarez.

—Last January, Price charged Juarez with a felony for passing more than $53,000 in bad checks to a local direct-mail company for a political mailer that later rocked the 2022 Oakland mayoral election.

—The infamous mailer and attack websites that arrived late in the 2022 election focused on Oakland mayoral candidate Sheng Thao’s main opponent, Loren Taylor. Some believe the mailer may have flipped a squeaker of an election to Thao.

—Similar to Ford, Juarez is a bitter rival of Price.

—At the same time Juarez created the Taylor attack ad, he also posted an attack website, named BadPam.com, that challenged Price’s campaign for district attorney in the same election.

—The anti-Price website labeled her a “loser with [a] shady history of fraud, violence, and racism,” and a “four-time loser.”

—Juarez’s name has also been mentioned as part of the FBI investigation that included a raid on the homes of Thao and members of the Duong family, the owners of Oakland’s recycling franchise.

—Knowing the enmity between Juarez and Price, it remains peculiar they attended a meeting, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, with a member of the Duong family at their offices in Oakland just two weeks before Price charged Juarez.

—It’s worth noting the Juarez and Ford share the same attorney, Ernesto Castillo.

—Price charged Ford with one misdeameanor count of violating the business and profession code. Price alleges Ford provided information to attorneys representing San Leandro police officer Jason Fletcher in the 2020 killing of Steven Taylor.

—An Alameda County Superior Court judge ordered Price off the case due to previous comments she had made about the case. Price appealed the judgment.

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