Alameda County judge selected as new district attorney, succeeding recalled DA Pamela Price

OAKLAND — Alameda County Superior Court Judge Ursula Jones Dickson was appointed Tuesday as Alameda County’s next district attorney, completing an unprecedented power shift at the heart of the East Bay’s justice system that began in November with the historic recall of longtime civil rights attorney Pamela Price.

The selection of Jones Dickson as the county’s next top prosecutor came with the support of three of the county’s Board of Supervisors: David Haubert, Nate Miley and Elisa Marquez. The former Alameda County prosecutor — and current judge — is expected to serve through 2026, when the seat again goes up for election.

A decade-long Alameda County Superior Court judge, Jones Dickson was among two candidates endorsed by the campaign that led the recall against Price. She touted her candidacy as an apolitical option given her time on the bench, telling the board Tuesday night that “as much as we’re all talking politics, I’m not — what I’m talking about is doing the right thing for the DA’s office.”

The appointment summoned cheers from organizers of the November recall against Price, the county’s first Black woman to serve as its top prosecutor. Voters opted to remove her from office by a nearly two-to-one margin, in a recall election never before seen in Alameda County.

The appointment comes at a time of deep instability for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, which will have its fourth leader in barely more than two years when Jones Dickson is expected to be sworn in on Feb. 4.

Price won election in November 2022 on a platform of reimagining the East Bay’s justice system and working against the nation’s legacy of mass incarceration. To that end, Price quickly instituted a policy that sought to limit the number and severity of sentencing enhancements that prosecutors could file against criminal defendants. Such enhancements can significantly lengthen potential prison terms.

Her removal from office during the November election marked the second time since 2022 that a progressive-leaning district attorney was recalled in the Bay Area, following the ouster of first-term San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin. It came as East Bay voters also struck a defiant tone — simultaneously booting Oakland’s mayor in a sweeping repudiation of the area’s recently-elected leaders.

The board’s selection Tuesday signaled a shift from Price, a career civil rights attorney who never previously prosecuted criminal cases.

Scores of people spoke during hours of public comment ahead of the Board of Supervisors’ historic selection — a meeting so well attended that it reached the limit for attendees on the county’s Zoom livestream.

Many speakers endorsed the duo of Esposito and Jones Dickson, the two preferred candidates of the recall campaign Save Alameda for Everyone. Several vowed they were “not going anywhere,” while suggesting the supervisors could face challenges in upcoming elections if they opted against their endorsed candidates.

Many also railed against Venus Johnson, a former Alameda County prosecutor whose close ties to Attorney General Rob Bonta became a sore spot among recall proponents.

“Our community doesn’t want a political outsider serving their political interests,” said Chris Moore, who worked as SAFE’s campaign manager, adding that the supervisors’ selection needed to “rebuild trust, restore safety and prioritize victims and their families.”

As he spoke, several fellow recall backers held signs in the nearby gallery depicting the faces of local homicide victims.

“What the county needs, in our opinion, is a person who can step in on Day One and begin to institute positive changes,” said Jason Wentz, who represented 8,000 members of the Bay Area’s chapter of the Peace Officers Research Association of California, and spoke in favor of Esposito and Jones Dickson. “Voters of this county spoke very clearly when they recalled the previous district attorney for failed policies, and they want change and accountability.”

Still, several others spoke up in favor of current Alameda County prosecutors Elgin Lowe and Jimmy Wilson, who have spent decades prosecuting cases in the East Bay.

Also receiving strong vocal support was Johnson, the former prosecutor in Alameda and Contra Costa counties who carried endorsements of the district attorneys in San Francisco and Contra Costa counties. She also arrived at the meeting with the backing of former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and numerous other East Bay lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon and California Assemblymember Buffy Wicks.

“At this time, what’s needed is someone who is a prosecutor, a reformer, manager and — most importantly — someone who is a proven leader,” said Kenton Rainey, a retired chief of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department who spoke in favor of Johnson. “Most importantly, she will be fair and she will listen to the community and local law enforcement concerns.”

Tash Nguyen, executive director of Restore Oakland, noted how Johnson’s overseen a billion-dollar budget as second-in-command at the California Department of Justice.

“People want increased public safety,” said Nguyen, whose nonprofit recently hosted a candidate forum. “That doesn’t mean they want to turn Alameda County back into the age of mass incarceration.”

Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at jrodgers@bayareanewsgroup.com.