Progressive Oakland District Attorney Pamela Price has been dealt a humiliating blow after California’s governor announced he will send state prosecutors to solve the rising crime levels for which she is blamed.
Price has been accused of allowing violent crime to become widespread in Alameda County by pushing liberal policies such as lower prison sentences in an attempt to increase “equity.”
Crime has continued to rise under his leadership, increasing nearly 20 percent in 2023 compared to 2019, and businesses like In-N-Out have closed in the dying city.
In a statement about the project, Newsom admitted that “crime in Oakland is uniquely increasing compared to other urban centers in California.” Alameda County has one of the highest crime rates in the United States compared to all communities of all sizes, according to Neighborhood Scout.
Experts suspect Newsom has made the move ahead of a potential presidential run, knowing that Oakland’s seemingly endless crime spree could be used against him by his rivals if he ran.
“As everyone knows, the governor’s office along with the attorney general announced that we are forming a partnership with them to address some of the criminal activity that has been occurring in Alameda County, particularly in Oakland,” Price said at a news conference. press.
Oakland’s progressive District Attorney Pamela Price will be dispatched to state prosecutors to help clean up rising crime rates in the area that have occurred on her watch.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said Oakland ‘is growing in a unique way compared to other urban centers’ in the state.
Crime has continued to rise under Price’s direction, increasing nearly 20 percent in 2023 compared to 2019.
“We appreciate that the governor along with the attorney general have agreed to provide additional resources for the prosecution of violent crimes, as well as primarily narcotics and auto theft activities.”
Price, who faces impeachment by locals fed up with their declining quality of life, said his office would welcome three deputies who would be under the leadership of one of his prosecutors, Mike Nieto.
The plan follows a pilot in San Francisco and will see the agencies work “collaboratively,” Price added. The start date has not yet been announced.
‘One arrest is not enough. “Justice demands that suspects be properly prosecuted,” Newsom said.
“Whether it’s carjacking or carjacking, attempted murder or fentanyl trafficking, people must be held accountable for their crimes using the full appropriate weight of the law.”
The plan comes amid skyrocketing crime rates in the area. Preliminary reports from Oakland indicate that in 2023, violent crime increased 21 percent, robberies increased 38 percent, and vehicle theft increased 45 percent.
Videos of violent car thefts have become commonplace. Last summer, horrifying video emerged of a woman being pistol-whipped and dragged across gravel by two thugs as part of a carjacking.
The attack on International Boulevard left the unidentified woman with serious injuries, police investigating in the city of East Bay said at the time.
An Apple store in Oakland was robbed by a customer who ripped several iPhones from their stalls earlier this week. The Bay Area city has become synonymous with skyrocketing crime and prosecutors seemingly can’t address it.
Oakland’s only In-N-Out burger announced it is closing amid a series of crimes against its customers, including robberies like this one.
Last month, Oakland’s only In-N-Out Burger restaurant announced it will close after 18 years, despite still making healthy profits, as customers and staff are “unsafe” due to rising crime. rates, the company said.
It’s the only In-N-Out burger to close in the chain’s 72-year history, and its departure puts even more pressure on Oakland officials, including Mayor Sheng Thao, a progressive who previously voted to defund the company. police.
Price was elected district attorney in 2022 on a progressive platform that pledged to seek shorter prison sentences, more lenient criminal charges and a refusal to charge juveniles as adults.
A leaked memo in early 2023 detailed how he sought to fulfill his woke campaign promise.
The directive said that parole should be the ‘presumptive offer’ during plea negotiations, and that low prison sentences should be offered in cases not eligible for parole, although almost all crimes in the California penal code are eligible for parole.
Price herself was burglarized in her car in October when thieves took her laptop.
Across the bay from San Francisco, progressive prosecutor Chesa Boudin was ousted after similar outrage in 2022. Now it appears Price will continue his path to ignominy.
Newsom’s announcement follows the deployment of 120 CHP officers earlier this week to the East Bay as part of a law enforcement operation with local partner agencies.
The enforcement operation is “focused on a multi-pronged approach: targeting auto theft, cargo theft, retail crime, violent crime and high-visibility traffic enforcement,” according to his office.