Pamela Price Recall Comeback: Why Alameda County Voters Must Reject Failed DA Again
In a move that has stunned many Alameda County residents, former District Attorney Pamela Price announced this week that she plans to run for the same office voters overwhelmingly removed her from just 13 months ago. After being recalled by a decisive 62.9% to 37.1% margin in November 2024—one of the largest recall margins in recent California history—Price is asking voters to give her another chance in 2026.
The answer should be a resounding no.
Price’s brief tenure as Alameda County’s top prosecutor was marked by declining prosecution rates, alienated victims’ families, and a progressive ideology that prioritized criminals over public safety. Her recall wasn’t a close call or a partisan witch hunt—it was a bipartisan rejection by a diverse coalition of Democrats, Republicans, Asian Americans, African Americans, and residents across the political spectrum who had simply had enough of soft-on-crime policies that made their communities less safe.
Now, less than two years after voters decisively rejected her leadership, Price wants a do-over. Alameda County deserves better than a prosecutor who learned nothing from her failures.
The Record Voters Already Rejected
When Pamela Price took office in January 2023, she promised criminal justice reform. What she delivered instead was a systematic failure to hold violent criminals accountable and a pattern of dismissing the concerns of crime victims and their families.
According to multiple reports, prosecution rates plummeted under Price’s leadership. The Oakland Report documented that criminal prosecution declined significantly during her first year in office, with her office failing to vigorously pursue cases that previous administrations would have prosecuted. While Price and her defenders claimed prosecution rates remained steady, victims’ families and law enforcement officials told a different story—one of plea deals that were too lenient, sentences that didn’t fit the crimes, and a District Attorney’s office that seemed more interested in social experimentation than justice.
The human cost of Price’s progressive ideology became painfully clear through the stories of victims’ families. In June 2023, The Berkeley Scanner reported that families of homicide victims spoke out against Price, with one family member stating bluntly: “They didn’t fight for us.” These weren’t abstract policy disagreements—these were grieving parents and relatives who felt betrayed by a prosecutor who should have been their advocate.
One of the most egregious examples involved the case of Delonzo Logwood, accused of killing three people. Price attempted to offer a plea deal that even a judge rejected as inadequate. The family of Jasper Wu, a 23-month-old child killed in a freeway shooting, also criticized Price’s handling of their case, saying she failed to listen to their concerns or adequately represent their interests.
This pattern of prioritizing defendants over victims represents a fundamental misunderstanding of a prosecutor’s role. District Attorneys don’t exist to be social workers for criminals—they exist to seek justice for victims and protect public safety.
Law and Order: A Core Conservative Principle
The recall of Pamela Price wasn’t just about one prosecutor’s failures—it was about a community reasserting the fundamental conservative principle that law and order matter. Public safety isn’t a luxury or a political talking point; it’s the foundation upon which all other freedoms rest.
When criminals aren’t held accountable, when sentences don’t reflect the severity of crimes, and when victims’ voices are ignored, society breaks down. Families can’t thrive, businesses can’t prosper, and communities can’t flourish when residents live in fear. This isn’t fearmongering—it’s reality, as demonstrated by Alameda County’s crime statistics during Price’s tenure.
According to state data, Alameda County had the highest homicide, violent crime, and property crime rates of California’s 10 largest counties in 2023. While some crime rates have improved in 2024 and 2025—with Oakland seeing a 19% decrease in violent crime—these improvements came after Price’s recall, not because of her policies. The turnaround began when voters demanded change and when law enforcement knew they would finally have a DA who supported their efforts.
Conservative principles of accountability, personal responsibility, and consequences for actions aren’t harsh or uncompassionate—they’re essential for a functioning society. When prosecutors like Price abandon these principles in favor of progressive theories that treat criminals as victims and minimize the harm they cause, real victims suffer and communities pay the price.
The Arrogance of Ignoring Voters
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Price’s comeback attempt is what it says about her respect—or lack thereof—for the democratic process and the will of the people.
Nearly 63% of Alameda County voters said no to Pamela Price’s vision of criminal justice. This wasn’t a narrow defeat that could be attributed to low turnout or a few swing votes. This was a comprehensive rejection by a clear majority of residents from across the political and demographic spectrum. Asian American communities, which had experienced rising crime rates, voted overwhelmingly for the recall. African American voters, despite Price being the first Black woman to hold the office, also supported her removal in significant numbers.
When voters speak this clearly, elected officials should listen. Instead, Price seems to believe she knows better than the hundreds of thousands of residents who voted her out. This attitude—that progressive elites understand what’s best for communities better than the communities themselves—epitomizes everything wrong with modern liberal governance.
Conservatives believe in limited government precisely because we understand that power should flow from the people, not be imposed upon them by officials who think they’re smarter than everyone else. Price’s decision to run again suggests she learned nothing from her recall and still believes her ideology matters more than public safety or voter preferences.
Fiscal Accountability and Government Competence
Beyond the policy failures, Price’s tenure also raised serious questions about fiscal responsibility and basic government competence—issues that should concern all taxpayers.
Multiple reports indicated that Price walked into an office that was allegedly “in disarray,” according to her own statements. However, rather than improving operations, critics argued that her leadership created additional chaos. Assistant District Attorneys reportedly quit, citing concerns about how the office was being run and violations of victims’ rights. High turnover and low morale in a DA’s office don’t just create internal problems—they cost taxpayers money through recruiting, training, and lost institutional knowledge.
When government fails to perform basic functions competently, it wastes taxpayer dollars and erodes public trust. District Attorney offices should be run efficiently and effectively, with clear accountability measures and respect for the rule of law. Price’s administration failed on these counts, and there’s no reason to believe a second term would be different.
What Alameda County Needs Instead
Rather than recycling a failed prosecutor, Alameda County needs leadership that embodies conservative principles of law and order, accountability, and respect for victims.
The county needs a District Attorney who will:
Prosecute criminals vigorously and appropriately. This doesn’t mean seeking maximum sentences in every case, but it does mean ensuring that violent offenders face consequences proportionate to their crimes and that repeat offenders are held accountable for their patterns of behavior.
Listen to and advocate for victims. Victims and their families should be at the center of the criminal justice process, not afterthoughts to be managed or ignored when their concerns conflict with progressive ideology.
Support law enforcement. Police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep communities safe. They need a DA who will back them up, prosecute the criminals they arrest, and work collaboratively rather than treating them as adversaries.
Run an efficient, professional office. Taxpayers deserve competent government that manages resources wisely and maintains high standards of professionalism.
Respect the will of voters. Elected officials serve at the pleasure of the people, not the other way around.
The Broader Stakes
The Pamela Price recall and her attempted comeback represent more than just one county’s prosecutor race—they’re part of a broader national conversation about criminal justice, public safety, and the limits of progressive reform.
Across California and the nation, voters have been rejecting soft-on-crime prosecutors. In the same 2024 election that recalled Price, Los Angeles voters also recalled their progressive DA, George Gascón. California voters passed Proposition 36, which rolled back some of the state’s most permissive criminal justice reforms. These aren’t isolated incidents—they’re a pattern of communities saying they’ve had enough of policies that prioritize ideology over safety.
Alameda County has an opportunity in 2026 to reaffirm that public safety matters, that victims deserve justice, and that failed leadership shouldn’t get second chances just because it comes with the right political credentials. The recall wasn’t a mistake to be corrected—it was democracy working exactly as it should.
Conclusion: Learning From Failure or Repeating It
Pamela Price’s announcement that she’s running again for Alameda County District Attorney is either remarkably tone-deaf or remarkably arrogant—perhaps both. Voters already delivered a clear verdict on her tenure, and nothing in her announcement suggests she’s learned from her failures or would govern differently in a second term.
Conservative principles of law and order, personal responsibility, accountability, and respect for democratic processes aren’t negotiable. They’re the foundation of safe, prosperous communities where families can thrive and businesses can grow. Alameda County experimented with progressive prosecution under Pamela Price, and the experiment failed spectacularly.
The question now is whether voters will remember that failure in 2026, or whether enough time will pass for Price to rebrand herself and convince people to forget the victims who weren’t heard, the criminals who weren’t held accountable, and the communities that became less safe under her watch.
Alameda County deserves a District Attorney who will fight for victims, support law enforcement, prosecute criminals effectively, and respect the will of the people. That person isn’t Pamela Price.
Call to Action
The 2026 race for Alameda County District Attorney starts now. Don’t wait until election day to get involved. Stay informed about who’s running and what they stand for. Support candidates who prioritize public safety and accountability over progressive ideology. Share this article with friends, family, and neighbors who care about making Alameda County safer. Attend candidate forums and ask tough questions about prosecution rates, victims’ rights, and support for law enforcement. Most importantly, remember what happened under Pamela Price’s leadership—and make sure your vote in 2026 reflects the lessons learned. Alameda County’s safety depends on voters who refuse to forget and refuse to repeat the mistakes of the past.
