Former prosecutor Russ Giuntini raises concerns about Pamela Price at United Democrats of Alameda meeting
[1]To the Editor:
On June 14, the United Democrats of Alameda [2] (UDA) held a spirited public meeting with former prosecutor Russ Giuntini on Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s policies and their impact on public safety at Phoenix in Alameda. More than 35 people, including Alameda City Councilmembers Tony Daysog and Trish Spencer, and former Alameda Police Chief Burny Matthews, attended the event.
Giuntini, an Alameda resident, is a retired prosecutor who spent 25 years with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, writing law enforcement legislation and prosecuting hundreds of cases. He also spent six years in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office working for Kamala Harris.
At the event, Giuntini spoke about the changes in the Alameda County District Attorney’s office since Pamela Price took office in January 2023 after winning with 53% of the vote. In her campaign, she committed to take aggressive steps to restore public trust in our criminal justice system, ensure public safety, end mass incarceration, and root out racial, socioeconomic, and gender disparities within Alameda County’s criminal justice system. Her 10-Point Platform is listed on her campaign website [3].
Giuntini expressed deep concerns about Price’s approach to public safety. Since she has taken office, there has been an exodus of experienced prosecutors from the Alameda County District Attorney’s office. Veteran prosecutors have resigned, with many publicly criticizing Price for seeking lenient plea deals for serious crimes and lack of forthright communication with victim’s families. In addition, six have been put on leave and one was fired. Price has hired former defense attorneys who share her approach but have no prosecutorial experience. Some of those came from Chesa Boudin’s District Attorney’s office in San Francisco after he was recalled.
In the past, District Attorneys have allowed individual prosecutors to decide on charges. Now, those decisions are made from the top. One of the major changes Price has made is restricting prosecutors from using enhancements for serious crimes. Enhancements are additional time added to a felony charge. They can be added for conduct such as great bodily injury, gang-related activity, or use of a firearm. Price’s opponents contend the loss of experienced staff and lack of enhancements will make Alameda County less safe and will harm crime victims.
These changes have led to some high-profile cases having conflicts with the District Attorney’s office. Three cases were discussed at the UDA event, including the death of Jasper Wu, who was not yet two years old when he was killed by a stray bullet when his parent’s car was caught in the crossfire of a gang dispute on Interstate 880 in Oakland in November 2021. The Wu family, along with members of the Asian Pacific Islander community, protested after a letter from the DA office suggested non-custodial reconciliation—no jail time—for the shooters.
Giuntini said there are better ways to handle these situations, and gave the example of a diversion program for first-time drug offenders in partnership with the Cypress Mandela Training Center [4], a nonprofit community training center where the participants can learn a trade and have a job waiting when they complete the program.
One of the goals of the UDA is for people of different viewpoints to discuss an issue respectfully. One attendee who spoke about his interactions with the prior District Attorney when his family had been victims of a crime described that District Attorney’s office as being concerned about justice for victims. He said he was worried about what would happen in similar circumstances with the current District Attorney’s office.
Another attendee spoke in support of Price and said that she is implementing the platform she committed to as a candidate, which was to disrupt and transform the system. She referenced positive things Price has accomplished, such as the creation of a Mental Health Commission to advise the office on how to better respond to criminal justice cases involving people with serious mental illnesses, and the new Public Accountability Unit that will focus on holding law enforcement and public officials accountable for misconduct.
To present balanced views, someone from the District Attorney’s office was scheduled to attend, but canceled at the last minute.
The United Democrats of Alameda are a grassroots community group of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents on a mission to fix broken politics and build an Alameda flourishing with safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, and a livable community. We are committed to providing honest, community-based perspectives on public policy and to support people and initiatives that align with our Democratic values. We are an independent community group. We are not chartered or affiliated with the California Democratic Party. Our website is here https://alamedademocrats.org [2].
Please come to our next event, featuring Alameda Councilmember Tracy Jensen, on Thursday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Phoenix, 2315 Lincoln Ave.
Joyce Boyd, Board Member
United Democrats of Alameda
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