Editor's Note: Below is the total text of a letter Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price sent to East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell in August. The letter was shared with the Bay Area News Group by Protect The Win, a campaign to support Price and block the recall effort.
August 7, 2024
Congressman Eric Swalwell
Dear Mr. Hon. Representative Swalwell:
I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing to personally invite you to fulfill with me and my leadership team as soon as possible. I fear that our relationship as allied representatives of a shared community has been marred by significant misunderstandings. I believe a private note to introduce us will reassure you that we’re working diligently to serve the individuals who live, work and play in Alameda County.
As a former Alameda County prosecutor, I imagine you share our concern for the protection of Alameda County and the necessity to construct trust within the rule of law. I also hope that, based in your previous work with our office, you’ve gotten a shared understanding of the challenges we face and our commitment to our community.
When Alameda County voters elected me to function district attorney starting in 2023, the county was already facing an alarming, pandemic-related spike in violent crime. The root causes of the rise in violence are complex and include the flooding of our community with guns throughout the COVID shutdown; dual housing and mental health crises; and Oakland's status as a hub within the billion-dollar international human slave trade, also generally known as human trafficking.
The district attorney's office also found itself in a crisis in its dealings with the broader public. The backlog in providing compensation and services to crime victims in Alameda County had develop into staggering, with too many victims having to attend a couple of yr to receive help. Many different communities felt disrespected by the office's perceived bias and failure to carry government actors accountable to the population. There was a persistent lack of trust among the many population within the administration of justice within the district.
I walked into an office in shambles. My successes were considerable.
RELATED: Rep. Eric Swalwell supports the recall of Alameda County Prosecutor Pamela Price
With the assistance of my talented leadership team, we now have hired committed, diverse talent at an unprecedented pace; expanded timely and culturally appropriate services for crime victims; We have expanded our collaborative courts to deal with the foundation causes of harm. including mental health crises and systems built to carry government actors – including my very own lawyers – accountable to the general public. But most significantly, I protected the community. I actually have proven that I’ll confront serious criminals. I’m committed to making sure that nobody is above the law and that the law is run fairly.
Recent comments in your personal social media suggest that it’s possible you’ll be unaware or misinformed concerning the progress of my administration. To assist you, I offer the next resources.
1. Annual Report 2023 – The report documents our work to revive the functionality of the Office with an eye fixed on law enforcement, accountability, transparency and justice.
2. Newsroom – We encounter serious crimes with serious consequences. My newsroom presents a weekly choice of probably the most serious crimes prosecuted by my government. Just last week, for instance, I announced the indictment of a person for the attempted murder of an Alameda County sheriff's deputy. This defendant was charged with multiple felonies for allegedly attempting to run over an Alameda County sheriff's deputy, including aggravated assault charges and for being out on bail on the time the alleged crime was committed.
To reassure you that the office is “in good hands,” I invite you to fulfill with me and my leadership team. We meet weekly on Fridays from 1 to three p.m. on the Oakland District Attorney's Office Oakport Branch. In the interest of furthering our shared mission to advance justice for all residents of Alameda County, I encourage you to simply accept our invitation. We value the open exchange of ideas and methods to make sure public safety, and I imagine our interests are higher served through collaboration than through public sparring.
Please contact me directly at pamela.price@acgov.org or ask your staff to contact our DAO Chief of Staff, LaTonia Peoples-Stokes, to rearrange a mutually convenient appointment.
In the meantime, my administration will proceed to approach the administration of justice in Alameda County with the utmost seriousness and determination to realize concrete and lasting ends in the interest of constructing public safety and confidence within the rule of law.
Sincerely,
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price
Originally published:
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