By David M. Greenwald
Executive Editor
Alameda, CA – On Wednesday, Politico reported that Governor Newsom rescinded an offer to help prosecute drug crimes in Oakland.
“Despite our outreach, your office has yet to make use of these resources,” Newsom’s Cabinet Secretary Ann Patterson wrote in a letter to Price’s office.
Price pushed back immediately, calling Newsom “misinformed” about her office’s standing.
In a lengthy statement released on Friday, she stated, “While I wish the memorandum for temporarily onboarding a single Cal Guard attorney for 60 days to prosecute drug cases had been resolved sooner, assigning a lawyer to a case for 60 days is not particularly significant because our drug cases last longer than that.”
Price stated, “Unfortunately, while trying to resolve these issues, the governor decided 
to rescind the offer.”
Price continued: “it is important for the public to know that the contingent of three Cal Guard attorneys was on assignment in San Francisco when my office received and accepted the governor’s offer of assistance back in February.”
She explained, “Although we agreed to the partnership in February, we were not given any timeline for when the Cal Guard attorney’s assignment in SF would end and their new assignment in Alameda County could begin, nor did we receive any specific offer of assistance from the California Attorney General’s office.”
Price explained that the conversation with JAG and the AG’s office picked up in April and continued in May.
The Alameda DA’s office received a draft MOU in April and their team met with the JAG commander.
“It is my understanding that the single CAL Guard attorney was only available to work in our office from June 1st to August 12th at the latest,” she said. “. I welcome the opportunity to speak personally with the governor to resolve any misunderstandings and move forward with any assistance from his office.”
In the meantime, Assistant District Attorney Michael Nieto continues to perform his assigned duties.
Nieto was appointed by the Governor to a judgeship and Price indicated, “We have identified his successor should the Governor choose to proceed with his nomination to the bench, and Mr. Nieto is collaborating with the other members of our team to ensure a smooth transition.”
She added, “We appreciate his service, professionalism, and commitment to the residents of Alameda County as we do for the numerous deputy district attorneys prosecuting felony drug cases in this county.”
