Special to the Vanguard
Oakland, CA – Alameda County District Attorney-Elect Pamela Price met with outgoing DA Nancy O’Malley to further cement a smooth transition of leadership going into 2023. This is the first meeting between DA-Elect Price and DA O’Malley since election day. The meeting was quite productive with a review of retiring and pending grants, office organization and staffing, and budget planning. Price is looking forward to further meetings with O’Malley before her January 3rd swearing in ceremony and official first day in the office.
This type of transition for a new District Attorney has never happened in more than 100 years in Alameda County’s DA’s office. Price and her team are dedicated to making sure that during this transition, the attorneys continue to manage their cases and the office staff are included in the measured improvements Price plans to implement in her first few months.
“My largest focus in the first few months is our organizational structure, budget and staffing, stated Price. “The budget for any organization is a statement of its priorities and its work. Our budget needs to reflect how we plan to administer justice in the County.”
“I am also focused on office structure and culture. We will have to build an internal team that supports the mission and vision of compassionate justice that the voters asked for,” stated Price. “I am determined to build an office with people who want to do more to protect public safety while looking for ways to make our criminal system more just.”
Price was able to send all the employees in the DA’s office a holiday greeting and introduction, asking for their honest feedback and ideas on how to effectively make the needed improvements in policy, procedures and practice.
Price has also assembled a transition team of seasoned prosecutors, civil rights attorneys, community leaders and subject matter experts to help craft the roadmap for her work reforming the DA’s office. Price’s all-volunteer transition advisors include; (full list attached) co-chairs; Marin County’s Chief Deputy Attorney Otis Bruce, newly-elected AUSD Trustee and communications strategist Ryan LaLonde and Richmond community organizer Antwon Cloird. Other members of the team include Price’s primary opponent and Alameda County prosecutor Jimmie Wilson, civil rights attorneys Walter Riley, Allyssa Victory and Cynthia Chandler, community leaders Ray Bobbitt (CEO of African-American Sports and Entertainment Group), Rev. Dr. Harold Orr and Royl Roberts (General Counsel for the Peralta Community College District).
These advisors will be working with Price in the coming weeks to make sure the transition is smooth, smart and effective. The team meetings are being facilitated by the Prosecutors Alliance’s Executive Director, Cristine Soto DeBerry.
Price adds, “The work to make our criminal justice system more just will take dedicated collaboration with the attorneys in the office and with subject matter experts, system-impacted residents and community stakeholders.”
Price has also announced her public inauguration celebration on Jan 2nd, 2023 from 5:00-7:00 PM at the Oakstop’s California Ballroom in Oakland. During the event, Price will take the oath of office and be ceremoniously sworn in by former California Superintendent of Instruction Delaine Eastin. On January 3rd at 9:00 AM, there will be the official oath of office at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse and officiated by retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge – the Honorable Brenda Harbin-Forte.
The transition team of volunteer advisors:
Co Chairs:
Otis Bruce Jr. – Assistant District Attorney, County of Marin
Ryan LaLonde – AUSD Trustee and Communications Strategist
Antwon Cloird – Community Organizer
Christine Soto Deberry – facilitator – Exec. Director, The Prosecutors Alliance
Barbara Becnel – Death Penalty Reform Advocate
Ray Bobbitt – CEO of African-American Sports and Entertainment Group
Cynthia Chandler – Attorney, Professor & Director of Bay Area Legal Incubator (BALI)
Rashidah Grinage – Co-founder of PUEBLO and the Coalition for Police Accountability
Yoel Haile – DA Accountability Table, ACLU Northern California, Director of Criminal Justice Program
Rocky Hunt – DA Accountability Table, Participatory Defense Leader, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ)
Linton Johnson – Strategic Programs Manager, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
Maureen Kildee – DA Accountability Table, Staff Attorney and Clinical Supervisor, East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC)
Saabir Lockett – Deputy Director of Civic Engagement and Faith-Rooted Organizing, EBASE
Eloise Middleton – Past President and Realtist, Women’s Council of Associated Real Property Brokers (ARPB)
Kristina Molina – Victim Assistance Advocate
Rev. Dr. Harold Orr – Pastor – Greater El Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
Tonsa Price-Edwards – Human Relations Strategist
Walter Riley – Civil Rights Attorney
Royl Roberts – General Counsel for Peralta Community College District
John Scott – Civil Rights Attorney
Lateefah Simon – Founder of MeadowFund and BART Board Director
Tamara Steele – Family/Victim Advocate and Attorney, Alameda County Social Services
Brandon Sturdevant Jr. – Community Youth Activist
Liz Suk – Executive Director, Oakland Rising Action
Allyssa Victory – Civil Rights Attorney and 2022 Candidate for Oakland Mayor
Jimmie Wilson – Alameda County Deputy District Attorney
