‘Disappointed’ with DA’s office, governor sends more CHP officers to Oakland

As the state expands its law enforcement presence in Alameda County, Gov. Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Pamela Price are expressing disappointment in each others’ handling of the partnership.

Speaking at a news conference in Oakland Thursday, the governor announced that the state Attorney General’s Office would be stepping in to handle more cases originating in Alameda County. This will accompany a fourfold increase of California Highway Patrol personnel operating in the county. 

The shift comes on the heels of the governor rescinding an offer to deploy California National Guard attorneys to the Alameda County DA’s office, with Newsom’s office saying Price made no use of the offered resources.

“Yes, we’ve been disappointed in the lack of engagement from the DA’s office, so we’re moving forward,” Newsom said at the news conference.

The governor noted that Price’s team had failed to accept prosecutorial resources the state offered in February, so they will be redirected to the AG’s office. 

“We extended a hand of partnership. Unfortunately, it wasn’t reciprocated,” he said.

In a subsequent news conference, Price painted a different picture.

“I cannot speak to the governor’s disappointment. As I say, I am disappointed that the governor did not reach out to me directly,” she said.

“There was an offer to this office to accept three lawyers at some unknown time in the future, so we said OK,” she added. “That was in February. We did believe it seemed a little more symbolism than substance at that time.”

According to Price, the offer of three attorneys eventually shrank to one attorney who would be available for 60 days. She said her office was in the process of bringing that attorney onboard when the governor rescinded the offer.

In California, the Attorney General’s Office has supervisory power over local prosecutors, meaning it has the right to take control of criminal cases. But prosecution is not the AG’s primary role, so it is rare for the office to use this tool. 

Newsom said the AG’s office would not be taking over all prosecutorial responsibilities from the DA, noting that Price’s team still will be handling the bulk of the cases. He pointed to a similar effort in San Francisco in which California National Guard attorneys have supplemented the DA’s work.

Since the initial surge of CHP patrols in Alameda County began in February, those officers have made 562 arrests, Newsom’s office said. Officials declined to confirm exactly how many more officers will be deployed, instead saying that the number of weekly shifts will increase from 42 to 162.

Newsom was positive about his engagement with other city officials, including Mayor Sheng Thao, who faces a recall election in November partly because of concerns about crime. He declined to comment on the recent FBI raid of the mayor’s home, but said that over the course of this effort he has had a good working relationship with her office. 

Price, who campaigned as a progressive prosecutor, also is facing a recall election in November related to a surge in certain crimes in Oakland during her short tenure. The year she was elected, 2022, progressive Chesa Boudin was removed from office in San Francisco under similar complaints.

Asked at the news conference about Price’s recall election, Newsom said, “It’s not about politics today. It’s about partnership.”

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