Alameda County DA decision: Highlights from the meeting

The vote to select Judge Ursula Jones Dickson as Alameda County's next district attorney, following the recall of Pamela Price in November, came after hours of public comment Tuesday and a relatively brief deliberation by the five-member Board of Supervisors.

Here's what happened as it happened.

Board members will vote for their top 2 candidates; the 3 with the most votes will go on to a second round. In the second round, they will vote for the top 2 again. Round three will be a face-off between the top two candidates. If none gets majority, second vote will be taken.

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 28, 2025

Royl Roberts, who has been serving as DA since the recall of Pamela Price (for the past two months), speaks first. He said public safety and stability in the office were his top two priorities.

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Roberts calls out a "new milestone" for the office, it's one of just three DA's offices in the state to launch a public data dashboard, which went live this week: It is with great confidence that I hand the controls over to whomever the board appoints, he says.

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More than 100 people have already signed up to speak, 30+ people online, the rest in the room. "We are here to work together," says @Chrisjonesmom17, Brenda Grisham, @Recall_Price organizer, as public comment starts. "We want to do something different in Alameda County."

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The recall campaign, @Recall_Price, and Jason Wentz of @PORACalifornia, Peace Officers Research Association of California, have backed Judge Ursula Jones Dickson and Annie Esposito. Other speakers especially concerned re: mental health services says LD Louis is the best option.

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The other candidate who has a lot of political backing is Venus Johnson. See our comprehensive live tweets from last week's candidate interviews if you want to see where the candidates stand. There was a lot of overlap but there are also differences. https://t.co/EOnFAcsaU4

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Looks like the online participant list has nearly 500 people watching.

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Jason Quinn, president of the Alameda County Prosecutors Association, said the board needs to pick a leader who will help realign the office behind a single mission: "We are defeated. We feel under-appreciated," he said, adding that they are "incredibly behind on work."

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"We are five years behind on murder prosecutions because this office has not valued that," said Quinn. He calls for a seasoned attorney who knows how to get convictions behind a reasonable doubt and someone who is also a strong leader.

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Board has struggled w/technical difficulties but it looks they fixed them, letting online speakers comment. One of the first online speakers, Mark Moreno, retired captain of inspectors from ACDAO, backs Elgin Lowe, "one of the most trusted and respected deputies in the office."

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Caller Philippe Kelly: "The recall of Pamela Price was a mistake." He says many changes proposed now are ill-advised, especially for people battling drug addiction, hunger, homelessness: "Locking people up is definitely not the way." He backs Venus Johnson as the best choice.

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Caller Cathy Leonard says the recall of Pamela Price was politically motivated, driven by "widespread misinformation" and had "no merit." She says Venus Johnson is her pick to lead the district attorney's office: "She is the most qualified."

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It seems Elgin Lowe has the most vocal support from inside the Alameda County DA's office, current + retired prosecutors, like Charlette Green who just called in: Defense attorneys respect him, she says. He's always stood up for victims. "He will work together with everyone."

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Jean Moses, Faith in Action East Bay, says Venus Johnson is the best choice: a solid prosecutor with an "impressive management track record and amazing endorsements" who comes with "relationships at the regional and state levels that will serve us well."

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More than two hours into public comment, speakers are now limited to 1 minute. Unclear how many are left. Most people are running out of time.

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VERY broad strokes:
* Activist groups have rallied behind Venus Johnson
* Price recallers + law enforcement back Ursula Jones Dickson and Annie Esposito
* Many DA's office insiders + victim families support Elgin Lowe
* Mental health advocates seem to be backing LD Louis

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Venus Johnson asks the board to base its decision on facts: "I'm not bought or paid for or puppet or pawn of anyone." She says she's the balance and the person the board is looking for. "I have made people upset on all sides of the aisle."

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Yiben Shen says he will uphold the board's holistic vision for justice in Alameda County. He says he admires all the finalists.

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LD Louis asks the board what type of approach it wants to healing, not just in the DA's office but the community as a whole. She says she works with different types of people and brings concrete solutions: "I respect this process and I thank you for it."

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Judge Ursula Jones Dickson: "The DA has a specific job to do" — to do what's right for the community, protect the public and lift up the victims: "As much as we're all talking politics, I'm not." She's met with audience applause.

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Annie Esposito: "It is a crisis right now in our community. We need a leader who can hit the ground running and get the work done." For her, she says, "it's all about doing the work," doesn't care about accolades or a title. Also met with audience cheers.

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Elgin Lowe: "I've served the victims, I've served my community, I've served the office" for 28 years: I was taking on the toughest cases and winning them, he says: "I came from the streets of Long Beach. I was not given anything." He says he'll continue to bring "the fight."

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Jimmie Wilson says last two years in DA's office have been like dog years. "I would never abandon this office, I would never abandon my community." Adds: "I didn't win, but I didn't give up," of his prior run. He says he is "not a politician," but is problem-solver and leader.

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"We're gonna bring it back to deliberations right now," says President @DaveHaubert. They're talking now about who will be Alameda County's next district attorney: "I am proud of each and every one of our candidates today."

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President @DaveHaubert also notes that a popular parking garage nearby closes at 7 p.m., so they need to move on with the decision: "We take this very seriously."

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"We have to stop criminalizing mental health and poverty," says @DaveHaubert, speaking about the diversity of Alameda County. "And I heard the need to stop mass incarceration."

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President @DaveHaubert calls this "one of the toughest decisions" of his long career, says his lens is going to public safety, electability and an "effective leader who can build our team."

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Supervisor @emarqana says her priorities will be to stabilize the office and restore best practices and trust. She credits the board for its "Good governance, we're getting it right." That means transparency, more collaboration with law enforcement, victim families, community.

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Supervisor @Nate_Miley: "People starting talking to me about this prior to the recall." He said he tried to urge patience to wait to see if it would succeed. After listening today, he says: "It's unfortunate this has become so polarizing in the county."

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Supervisor @Nate_Miley says the top two candidates for him are seasoned prosecutors with balanced judgement: "I'm humbled by the fact that one will give up her pension." Says he's talking about Judge Ursula Jones Dickson + Venus Johnson: "We can't go wrong with either of them."

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 29, 2025

Supervisor @emarqana said her top four are Elgin Lowe, LD Louis, Judge Ursula Jones Dickson and Venus Johnson. No vote yet. But we're starting to hear the top contenders from the supervisors who want to put it out there.

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"It comes down to which one of these 'family members' I want to choose," says Supervisor @Nate_Miley, adds that both are strong women who could do the job "and they're not bought or sold by anyone." Here's the process. pic.twitter.com/GUGG1xXjVM

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Supervisor @Lena_Tam_D3: "I think we're talking about the here and now and meeting the needs of the times, when immigrant rights are being threatened, when we clearly need to have a DA's office that understands the needs and concerns of the victims and their families."

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 29, 2025

Supervisor @Lena_Tam_D3 says her second choice will be Judge Ursula Jones Dickson: "She knows politics although she says she's not a politician." She said she received substantial praise during the process.

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Supervisor @Nikkiforallofus: "This is an incredible decision that the public has entrusted in me and all of us here on this dais." She says she's looking for someone with strong vision for the office and someone who will build trust with victims, advance public safety, be fair.

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 29, 2025

Supervisor @Nikkiforallofus says she wants accountability AND someone who will look at alternatives to incarceration. She wants DA who will advance Care First, Jails Last and Reimagining Adult Justice policies. Wants to understand vision for immigration, death penalty policies.

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 29, 2025

Supervisor @Nikkiforallofus says Venus Johnson is her top choice. She also notes that a majority of her district wants reform.

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 29, 2025

After the first round of votes, Ursula Jones Dickson has four votes, Annie Esposito has two and Venus has three votes. Now Round 2.

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 29, 2025

[Editor's Note: There were two more rounds of voting but the outcome was the same.]

BREAKING: The next Alameda County district attorney is Judge Ursula Jones Dickson. https://t.co/bPC9uYUO4O

— The Berkeley Scanner (@BerkeleyScanner) January 29, 2025