Voters recalled Alameda County, California, District Attorney Pamela Price on Nov. 5 by a margin of 65.2%-34.2%. The office is nonpartisan, but Price is affiliated with the Democratic Party. This is the first time in the county’s history that voters recalled a district attorney.

The county must certify election results no later than Dec. 5, at which time Price must vacate the office. The county Board of Supervisors will appoint a replacement to serve until the next election in November 2026.

Background

Voters first elected Price district attorney on Nov. 8, 2022. She defeated Terry Wiley with 53.1% of the vote to Wiley’s 46.9%.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors certified the recall for the ballot in April 2024. Save Alameda for Everyone initiated the recall in 2023, alleging that Price refused to charge cases, lowered sentences, and replaced prosecutors who resigned with unqualified individuals. For more background on the arguments in support of recalling Price, click here.

Price said Republican-connected special interest groups organized the effort. Price defended what she called her criminal justice reforms, including alternatives to incarceration, charging juveniles as juveniles, holding police accountable, and not adding enhancements to charges. For more background on the arguments against recalling Price, click here.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D), San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and the Alameda County Prosecutors Association supported the recall.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D), state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D), and the ACLU of Northern California opposed the recall.

Analysis

As of 2020, the county population was 1,682,353, and was the 19th largest in the country by population. According to election results as of Nov. 8, 296,893 people voted in the recall, making this recall the largest county-level district attorney recall by number of votes cast since at least 2009. Of the county-level district attorney recalls from 2009 to 2023, the 2021 recall election of Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch had the most votes cast with 189,768.

As of June 2024, there were 164 recall efforts against 266 officials in 26 states this year. California and Michigan led the way in officials targeted for recall with 57 each in the first half of the year. From 2016 to 2017 and 2019 to 2021, California had the most officials targeted for recall.