The political climate within the Alameda County District Attorney's Office is reaching a fever pitch as accusations against District Attorney Pamela Price swirl amid an unfolding recall campaign. Price, the focus of an intense recall effort set for this November, now faces allegations from employees of threatening behavior and intimidation, according to a letter penned by lawyer Daniel Horowitz, who represents these employees, KTVU reports.
Horowitz's accusations include claims that Price warned staff against participating in the political campaign with threats of arrest and redeployed private armed guards to her office environment after the Alameda County Sheriff's office barred them from the courthouse, creating a palpable sense of fear among the staff, Price's office, however, has responded with a decisive no comment on these specific allegations. The Alameda County Sheriff's deputies usually handle security, casting a peculiar light on Price's choice to use private armed guards instead—comprising an action without precedent.
Adding to the controversy, an official statement from the Alameda County District Attorney's Office Communications Bureau refutes claims of Price employing private security. It states that any armed staff are retired law enforcement officers working for the County of Alameda. The same statement addressed the implementation of memorandums concerning acceptable political activities during campaigns following the 2022-2023 Grand Jury report and regards accusations of Price being a "mob boss" as a disrespectful and racially charged notion aimed at undercutting the first Black district attorney's credibility with the public.
Yet, even as the DA's office condemns these allegations, reports filed by Horowitz allege that such intimidatory methods have resulted in a workplace environment stifled by fear where guns in the courthouse held by unvetted individuals threatened the sense of safety for judges, prosecutors, and the public alike—this narrative starkly contrasts with the official depiction of a decades-old institution grounded in law and order. The DA’s Inspectors Division, established by former Alameda County District Attorney Earl Warren in 1927, is highlighted as being integral to the office, providing investigative and prosecutorial support, a hallmark of due process as presented by the office's official stance.
