Winning the Alameda County DA’s race is in Pamela Price’s hands
With retirement ahead, what’s Bill Quirk going to do with his war chest?
PODCAST
—BEST RACE IN TOWN—In the latest episode of the East Bay Insiders podcast, Shawn Wilson, co-host and veteran political consultant, and I take another look at the big Alameda County District Attorney primary race to replace the retiring Nancy O’Malley. In terms of substance, grit, and competition, this race is by far the top of the pack for this June.
—Here’s a transcript from our conversation in Episode 44, available HERE or subscribe for free and download from Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
STEVE TAVARES: It's early March and I feel like there's only one race going on. There's only one race where they're acting like they're running for something and want to win. Only Alameda County District Attorney is where they're saying what they believe. What they believe makes them different from the other person. And the other person is throwing some bombs. It's a real race. All four of them are acting like they want to win. Seth Steward, Pamela Price, Jimmie Wilson, and Terry Wiley. Are you related to Jimmie Wilson because you have to say whether you're related to the candidate.
SHAWN WILSON: I have to disclose that? No, we're not related.
STEVE: Are you sure?
SHAWN: Yeah. I mean, we look a lot alike.
STEVE: I'm hearing from a lot of people in the San Leandro and Hayward area that like Terry Wiley.
SHAWN: Terry is a good dude. Jimmie is a good dude. I think Seth is a good dude. All I know is money talks...
STEVE: What about Pamela Price?
SHAWN: Not a good dude. The bottom line is money is going to be a huge factor. There's a candidate in the Sheriff's race and the DA's race that doesn't have a lot of money and you need money to run a countywide race.
If you got no ducats, you gotta say, f—k it! If you got no cash, you ain't going to make a splash! If got no green, you ain't going to make it on the scene! You know what I'm saying? If you got no bread, you're probably dead! Do you want me to keep going? If you got no loot, you're going to get the boot!
STEVE: When it comes to DA, if Pamela Price wants to be the DA, it's within her reach. It's actually in her hands. I've been looking at these races for over a decade and I know when you got an upstart campaign, the number one reason you won is because you have some kind of scandal piece. Find the scandal or create one. Ro Khanna created a fake scandal that Mike Honda was some kind of a crook and he won. Price has something that she can create to be corruption by another candidate [for participation in the use of public resources to help Nancy O'Malley's 2018 re-election]… Is she going to choke again? Because I think she should have won the 2018 election.
SHAWN: No she wouldn't have. If I was her campaign consultant...
STEVE: Oh, you're giving free advice?
SHAWN: ...I would say, "Look. You and your husband, go to f--cking Hawaii for the next three f--cking months. Ok? Leave! I’ll take care of this… I don’t need you talking. I don’t need you saying anything.
STEVE: I'm not going to say anything bad about any of those four. I love what all four of them are doing. It gives me something to write about. It tells me, as a voter, that these people want to win.
ELECTION 2022
FILING DEADLINE UPDATE
—ONE DAY LEFT—The last-minute rush to finalize a candidate’s place on the June 7 primary ballot continues. Here’s the notable candidates that competed their filings on Wednesday:
Jimmie Wilson, Alameda County District Attorney
Seth Steward, Alameda County District Attorney
Alysse Castro, Alameda County superintendent of schools
—MONEYBALL—With both of the Alameda County superintendent of schools candidates on the ballot, the campaign of incumbent L.K. Monroe received a boost on Wednesday. Assemblymember Bill Quirk contributed $2,500 to Monroe’s re-election campaign, according to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office. Quirk’s contributions runs against the stream of growing teachers’ union support for the challenger, Alysse Castro.
—The contribution also raises another question: Since Quirk is not seeking re-election to the Assembly, how will he use his remaining war chest? Quirk reported $191,000 in campaign reserves, as of Dec. 31, 2021, according to the State Secretary of State’s office. Other than the donation to Monroe to yesterday, Quirk has given a total of $9,800 this year to Matt Haney’s campaign for San Francisco’s 17th Assembly District.
COUNTY NEWS
ALAMEDA COUNTY
—CLOSED SESSION—The Alameda County Board of Supervisors have a special meeting today to primarily discuss board operations, priorities and procedures. But the board’s closed session agenda includes several pertinent items, including discussions on a lengthy list of county employee bargaining groups and labor unions. The lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court, Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association, Inc., et al. v. County of Alameda, is also on the docket Thursday morning.
—The lawsuit alleges the appointment of Supervisor Dave Brown is illegal. In addition, the filing includes some incriminating, although not likely illegal, texts from Brown appearing to show him coordinating with other supervisors for his appointment to the late Wilma Chan’s supervisorial seat.