District Attorney Nancy O'Malley Challenged on Ballot

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA —In the June election, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley is facing a challenger for the first time since she was appointed to her position in September 2009.

Oakland civil rights attorney Pamela Price says in her ballot statement that she's running against O'Malley because she wants to "hold police accountable and remove officers who are not serving the public, end
mass incarceration, eliminate the death penalty and ensure that victims of crime receive the full justice they deserve."

Price says, "I will create partnerships with organizations, cities and government agencies to ensure that seniors, youth and poor people are not exploited and over-criminalized. I will strive to give everyone a second
chance at a first-class life."

O'Malley, whose father Bill O'Malley served as Contra Costa County's district attorney for 15 years and later was a judge there, joined the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in 1984 and rose through the ranks to become the chief assistant district attorney in 1999.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 at a meeting on Sept. 15, 2009, to appoint O'Malley to succeed Tom Orloff, who surprised the board several days earlier by saying he planned to retire.

O'Malley was then elected without opposition in 2010 and 2014.

In her ballot statement, O'Malley says she's committed to "fighting for women, vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children and people with disabilities and enhancing the rights of victims of crime."

O'Malley says, "Together, we have led the statewide charge against human trafficking through the H.E.A.T. (Human Exploitation and Trafficking) program, which unites prosecutors, police, servicce providers and
communities."

O'Malley says, "Alameda County needs an experienced district attorney who understands the balance between keeping the public safe by fighting violent crime while ensuring equality and fairness so our criminal justice system does not discriminate and punish people unfairly."

Price says, "For the last 41 years I have been an advocate for women, people of color, low-income and marginalized communities in their struggle for justice." She says, "I have the knowledge, skills and experience to manage the office of district attorney and implement my vision of justice done right."

O'Malley is endorsed by some of California's most powerful elected officials, including Gov. Jerry Brown and U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. Harris formerly worked with O'Malley in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office before becoming a district attorney herself in San Francisco.

O'Malley also is endorsed by all five members of the county's Board of Supervisors and most of the county's mayors.

Among those who've endorsed Price are Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, a group called Our Revolution that was started by former operatives of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, actor Danny
Glover, activist Angela Davis, the California Nurses Association and former Oakland mayor and congressman Ron Dellums.

Price's campaign mailers and advertisements have been funded in part by a group called the California Justice & Public Safety Political Action Committee, which has received major funding from billionaire investor
George Soros.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock