Alameda District Attorney Nominees and Appointments Announced

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecuting cases and making charging decisions after an arrest. The office also investigates fatalities, provides support to witnesses and victims, and promotes the 10-Point Platform, which aims to ensure fair justice for all residents. This is the third term for District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, and she has the support of a diverse coalition of community organizations and lawyers.

Nancy O’Malley

Governor Jerry Brown has appointed four attorneys from Northern California to positions in state government. The four selected lawyers include Alameda District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, who will sit on the California State Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In addition, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven was chosen to serve on the Corrections Standards Authority. Both are subject to Senate confirmation. And finally, Greta Wallace, the deputy district attorney in Alameda County, was elevated to chief counsel, a position that will pay her $145632.

O’Malley is committed to protecting the rights of victims and is an advocate for them. She has helped create a groundbreaking electronic notification system and a restitution program that ensures defendants pay back victims for their losses. She has consistently broken national recovery records. The Restitution Unit of DA O’Malley’s office has obtained more than $140 million in direct restitution orders.

Mary Knox

George Soros, a Hungarian-born investor and frequent donor to U.S. political campaigns, has been the primary supporter of candidate Mary Knox. During her campaign, he contributed $652,000 to the California Justice and Public SafetyPAC, which spent $1 million opposing Knox. Becton was elected district attorney last year after taking over from Mark Peterson, who pleaded guilty to felony perjury.

As a former gang prosecutor, Knox has pushed a tough approach to crime. She has defended her record as a hard-hitting prosecutor while touting her 37-year gang-police career. She also has a reputation among defense attorneys as a prosecutor who seeks lengthy prison sentences in plea deals. Regardless of how much of an opponent she faces in the general election, she should have no trouble getting elected.

In Alameda County, voters will be asked to choose a district attorney for the next four-year term. The two candidates have different backgrounds and political affiliations. Price is an Oakland civil rights lawyer, while Wiley is an assistant district attorney. In the four-way race, Price won 40% of the vote. The other candidate, prosecutor Jimmie Wilson, received only 21% of the vote. The winner will be chosen by a vote count in November.

Diana Becton

Before becoming the district attorney of Oakland, California, Diana Becton served as a judge for 22 years in Contra Costa County. While in that position, she was elected as the presiding judge for Contra Costa County Superior Court, overseeing a $45 million budget. She is also the immediate past president of the National Association of Women Judges. Last year, she ran for Attorney General and won the endorsement of the California Legislative Black Caucus. She became interim DA in 1992 when her predecessor, Bill Peterson, pleaded guilty to 13 felonies.

The district attorney is a prominent speaker and panelist and is active in community outreach activities. She served as the Co-Chair of the West Contra Costa County Know Your Rights Youth Symposium, which was part of a national dialogue to educate youth on their rights. She also serves on the Advisory Board of De Anza High School in Richmond. In addition to being an active community member, Becton has several important projects in the works.

Nancy Wiley

A Democratic primary for Alameda district attorney will be held on Feb. 19. Prosecutors from other Bay Area counties are supporting Wiley, but there are some key issues in her race that need to be addressed. Price promised to clean up his office if he is elected, but her record is anything but clean. Wiley, a Democrat, has a solid record of addressing crime in Alameda County.

For 17 years, Wiley has worked in the DA’s office, where she is a member of the gang and sexual assault trial teams. She’s also a member of the executive board of the local NAACP chapter in southern Alameda County. As district attorney, she hopes to implement a unit focusing proactively on gang crimes. In the Oakland District Attorney’s Office, a gang intelligence unit was eliminated in 2020, but Wiley wants to bring back the unit and work with Oakland Ceasefire.