Alameda City Attorney Yibin Shen is one of seven finalists who will be interviewed by the County Board of Supervisors on January 21 to serve as district attorney following the recall of Pamela Price.
When Shen filed his application, he told the Alameda Post, “With immense appreciation for the Council’s support, and encouragement from many elected officials and community leaders, I am grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to submit my application to be Alameda’s next District Attorney.” He’s now a finalist.
Supervisors initially chose five finalists from the original 15 applicants, according to an SFGate report, but added Shen and Alameda County deputy county counsel Latricia D. Louis to the list following requests from supervisors Elisa Marquez and Nate Miley.
The seven finalists are:
- Annie Esposito, assistant district attorney in Contra Costa County and former senior assistant district attorney in Alameda County.
- Venus Johnson, chief deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice and former director of public safety in Oakland.
- Ursula Jones Dickson, Alameda County Superior Court judge and former deputy district attorney in Alameda County.
- Elgin Lowe, senior deputy district attorney in Alameda County.
- Jimmie Wilson, deputy district attorney in Alameda County.
- Yibin Shen, city attorney in the City of Alameda
- LaTricia Louis, deputy county counsel in Alameda County and former assistant district attorney in Alameda County.
These finalists will be interviewed during a special public meeting of the board on Tuesday, January 21 at 1:30 p.m. The final decision will be announced at a public meeting on Tuesday, January 28. The Board of Supervisors meets at the County Administration Building, 1221 Oak Street, Oakland.
According to a KRON4 news report, Supervisor Nate Miley previously said the board will choose “someone who is a seasoned prosecutor because we need to make sure we have someone who has the experience and understands the role of a district attorney. You want to hold people accountable for their behaviors and their actions, particularly if they’re heinous.”
The office is temporarily being held by former chief assistant district attorney Royl Roberts, who was chosen by Price. He did not apply to take the job permanently.
The person chosen by the Board of Supervisors to be the next district attorney is scheduled to take office no later than February 4. Whoever the board selects will serve until the next regularly scheduled election in 2026, according to CBS News.