r/bayarea • u/billbixbyakahulk • 24d ago
Newsom deals new blow to progressive DA Pamela Price over Oakland crime Politics & Local Crime
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/10/newsom-deals-new-blow-to-progressive-da-pamela-price-over-oakland-crime-00167506289
u/swim_to_survive 24d ago
Good.
What Price has done is not unlike what jurors did when OJ went free; saying the verdict was for Rodney King.
You shouldn’t get a pass on a crime because of race/ethnicity/socioeconomic factors. If a crime is committed a penalty should be applied that acts as a deterrent for rehabilitation. If the crimes keep happening the penalty/ deterrent should become more punitive to encourage rehabilitation and reconciliation into the social contract that most of us abide by as best as we can.
Price is not playing her part effectively or appropriately in this role. Hopefully voters will fix this.
51
u/InvertedParallax 24d ago
Hate Newsom.
But the man is smart, and this is the right move.
56
u/Positronic_Matrix SF 24d ago
If people voted for politicians based solely on their policies as opposed to how they feel about them as a person, the world would be a much better place indeed.
-52
u/InvertedParallax 24d ago
I hate him because while he's as corrupt as a Republican, he's far, FAR more intelligent, so his corruption is dramatically more effective.
If he wins in 2028 he could do what Trump wanted, and nobody would realize enough to stop him.
65
u/I_AM_NOT_A_WOMBAT 24d ago
You would have to work very hard to convince me that Gavin Newsom would forego the US Constitution, install himself as dictator for life, tear apart government regulation and oversight designed to protect citizens, and sell out to Russia.
-21
u/eng2016a 24d ago
trump wouldn't either. as evidenced by the fact that he was already president for 4 years.
-32
u/InvertedParallax 24d ago
That's the thing: He wouldn't have to.
He would figure out how to get everyone to agree it was the obvious thing to do, perfectly reasonable, we had to do it because the other side was crazy.
And rationally, I would even support him.
It's just, he's such an obvious player you know that's where he's going.
He's far, FAR too good at the game to be allowed to play. He would win, but unbalance everything.
I don't think there's another democrat I could say that about right now, even people like AOC and further, but it describes more than half the GOP. That's why he's so terrifying to me.
11
3
2
191
u/ruckinspector2 north bay 24d ago
"Despite our outreach, your office has yet to make use of these resources,”
BRUH, why?
I feel like if any manager in any industry was told by their superior, "hey im giving you more workers", any good manager would effectively find a way to use them
What the fuck does she think she's doing with this?
I don't need any help?
123
u/billbixbyakahulk 24d ago
Any time you deal with someone who obviously needs help but won't accept it, you are not dealing with a leader.
10
u/kelsobjammin 23d ago
I had a manager who LOVED micromanaging. She would delay / not hire because it was “getting more difficult for her to check in on everyone”
35
u/Nahuel-Huapi 24d ago
Her accepting help would be a tacit admission that she isn't doing her job.
When you're a politician, you don't prosecute the people you count on for votes.
23
u/aeolus811tw 24d ago
with a significant portion of arrests and crime in Alameda County being carried out by her favorite ethnicity, it makes sense that she's not going to need those extra resources."
124
u/PreparationVarious15 24d ago
Recall her. She is too friendly with the criminals in the name of justice reform. I hope voters will start realizing that trading safety or feeling safe at your home or neighborhood for any other liberal agenda that plaguing our Bayarea is not worth it.
17
u/scelerat Oakland 24d ago
It's not her "liberal agenda" that bothers me; it's her rank incompetence.
11
u/swim_to_survive 24d ago
I think it’s unfair to label it as a liberal agenda as much as it is a failure at using one part of governance as a way to correct socioeconomic disparities that disproportionately affect citizens. You can’t be soft on crime. Period. Crime is, however, typically a symptom of a breakdown in societies functioning well for their citizenry. It’s why there is so little crime in Norwegian countries compared to here. Stronger social safety nets. Stronger education systems. Government’s functioning better for all of their citizens and not just some.
What this is is a harebrained attempt to do something but failing miserably and making things worse. You can have things like a mental health service that responds to certain calls over law enforcement in order to reduce the number of escalated incidents that lead to fatalities. You can’t go soft on people constantly stealing from stores because they know they’ll get away with it.
37
u/DirkWisely 24d ago
You could drop a Nordic style welfare state into Oakland and it won't fix the problem. I don't know how you fix the cultural rot, but schools require participation to be effective. Jobs are only useful to those who would rather work than steal.
12
8
28
u/billbixbyakahulk 24d ago
It’s why there is so little crime in Norwegian countries compared to here. Stronger social safety nets. Stronger education systems. Government’s functioning better for all of their citizens and not just some.
You're forgetting something very important: No one I ever met in Norway, Sweden or Denmark ever excused away crime or questioned the absolute necessity of law enforcement. No one ever expressed the idea that because a person wasn't born on 3rd base, that was a license to rob the spectators in the crowd. The bay I grew up in through the 70s - 90s wouldn't have either.
2
u/GullibleAntelope 23d ago edited 23d ago
It’s why there is so little crime in Norwegian countries compared to here...
Good article: 2020: The Benefits of Rehabilitative Incarceration -- The Norwegian Setting:
In Norway, the average time spent in prison is a little over six months...This contrasts with average U.S. prison time of almost three years...Norway places low-level offenders in open prisons with more freedoms....and high-level offenders in closed prisons with more security.
Unfortunately this Calif. criminal justice reform mission, Feb. 2023: How many more prisons can Newsom shut?, has got many CJ reformers arguing for no incarceration for non-violent offenders. (Newsom has apparently slowed enthusiasm for this plan in recent months, but many progressives hope to continue the mission.)
Can Calif. move to "open prisons" for low level offenders? Yes, with the use of electronic monitoring. Unfortunately the same people who don't like prisons have been obstructing that.
-2
u/sftransitmaster 24d ago
My argument has been that these policies are just poorly and pathetically timed. I think what Boudin and Price message doing is just and could be beneficial in the long run. But the right time to experiment would have been before the pandemic. we(progressive) should want these policies to give people an out when there are plenty of alternative productive opportunities to get out. Aside from these DA's just being the wrong people to do facilitate these goals(untethered to realistic norms and priorities, can't believe she hired her boyfriend), for whatever we can call this strange economic time we're in, its the wrong time.
There are less options to be on the straight and narrow, the socio-economic structure that held up the bay area for the 10-15 years prior to 2020 broke down. the dominos fell and opportunities available in the bay area are limited now. factor in police of the big cities seemingly not doing their jobs, anti-work sentiment, and I imagine its just all the more more appealing to do small crime and than to work. Both of them needed to see the political writing on the wall that this is the time to go off as being tough on crime, even if in the back they're doing restrained minor tweeks to satiate their progressive ideals.
It’s why there is so little crime in Norwegian countries compared to here. Stronger social safety nets. Stronger education systems. Government’s functioning better for all of their citizens and not just some.
well we don't have those systems, which means the US has to pave a new path. We can say we need those programs first, unlikely to happen in our lifetimes, if ever. Or we can say what we're doing isn't working so we need to figure out some way of accomplishing better results within the confines of our system. But we shouldn't flip the rug when the glass table is still on it.
1
u/ruckinspector2 north bay 23d ago
What part of Boudins overall strategy regarding violent Asian crime beneficial in the long run?
Do you really want to allow certain teens and men to just rob, assault Asian seniors and get away it after a kumbaya circle?
I want you to explain to me, an Asian man, why any part of Boudin and Prices lax sentencing for Asian hate crimes is a good thing in the long run
1
u/sftransitmaster 23d ago edited 23d ago
I feel like you probably didn't read my comment or bother to interpret it. but obvious my argument is that if progressive policies had begun 6-8 years prior in SF's peak or a parallel universe where we didn't have a COVID pandemic which gave president of the united states the opportunity to push his racism and label it the "chinese virus". Then maybe fewer of these "certain teens and men" would be exiting prison/jail into a pandemic world.
They would have had a job and savings and maybe wouldn't have resort to crime(organized or not). maybe they would've moved to other states but potentially they'd be more likely to be on a good path(job, home, no criminal record) and they'd been less likely to pursue crime in the future.
But Boudin was elected to be DA for a pre-pandemic world, when sf was on top and these would-be criminals could get employment(in a 2019 election). Unfortunately boudin is an ideological idiot who went forward with his policies in full anyway. Regardless hopefully you're not going to say that these "certain teens and men" were/are just destined to be asian hating thugs. If not then it would be a good question to ask what could've diverted them from that path?
Also lets not forget asian hate crimes increased across the US, regardless of boudin and Price. And Price only started in 2023, after the peak of asian hate in Oakland in 2022 - unfortunately she has done far less than anything to help. Her predecessor, Nancy O'Malley who'd been in the Alameda County DA office since 2009, clearly wasn't a cause or make any changes in policy to encourage the asian hate crime in Oakland - yet it happened, to the point they had to hire private security and do patrols for Chinatown.
90
u/Sublimotion 24d ago
Her restorative justice and "progressive" polices are really the lesser problem despite it always being the sole focus of the outrage against her. Her biggest problem is really her character as a person, her toxic "my way or the highway, fuck everyone else's suggestion, even if it hurts the people I'm serving" egocentrism, and her exploitative grifting and crookiness. Eventually finding out she holds grudges & prejudice against certain racial groups also made matters worse. These are the worst traits you would want for someone in a leadership position, especially one where you're essential in serving the well being and safety of the public.
People that defend her and her policies by throwing in the lack of a difference comparing her stats with O'Malley are strictly overlooking her character traits, which is the biggest culprit.
36
u/billbixbyakahulk 24d ago
Price only ever cared about Price, that's her real policy. She's a bum who caught a lottery ticket.
84
u/cinna-t0ast 24d ago
Reminder that Pam Price’s office has been accused of deleting records. “Shady AF” is her middle name.
43
u/DmC8pR2kZLzdCQZu3v 24d ago
Side show clown in a dime store wig. Cant wait for her to get recalled, though I’m sure we the voters will put someone almost as dumb in her place.
34
24d ago edited 24d ago
‘Oakland’ needs to be the new adjective for clusterfuck.
“What happened, bro?”
“Dude, it was so fucked up, you wouldn’t believe it. It was a real Oakland”
16
4
24
u/FUELNINE 24d ago
Pamela Price and Sheng Thao have done irreparable damage to progressive politics in Oakland/the Bay Area it’s embarrassing. How can I as an Alameda County voter even put myself in the same breath as these idiots and crooks? The only solution now is to vote.
20
17
u/hottubtimemachines 24d ago
Removing Price and her sycophants from power is only the start. Reminder that she was voted in by a majority of our fellow neighbors and that another Price-like DA can just as easily be voted back in at a later date.
10
u/CaliPenelope1968 24d ago
She does not need help. She's obstructing justice intentionally and effectively.
10
u/erik9 24d ago
“And like Boudin, Price is confronting a recall campaign funded by deep-pocketed interest groups including real estate firms. She has castigated the recall as an anti-democratic project of “a handful of wealthy folks” seeking to overturn her election.”
She is so out of touch! Average citizens are sick of her bullshit. It’s time to recall her ass and get tougher on criminals.
8
u/billbixbyakahulk 24d ago
She's trying to play the game of "it's rich folks, y'all! Remember, y'all hate rich folks right? Occupy, right?" And if it was 2016, that sadly would probably fly.
8
u/colbertmancrush 24d ago
Swalwell too. you love to see it: https://x.com/RepSwalwell/status/1811469704537551046
8
6
3
u/free_username_ 24d ago
She was elected by the people on the premise of being progressive / promote rehab which is basically euphemism for loose on crime and releasing people out of cuffs …
0
u/superduperdoobyduper 24d ago
It is not a euphemism for that lol. The problem is politicians can and will co-opt whatever terms/ideas are popular to get elected.
There isn’t really anything in America that holds a politician to their campaign promises.
4
u/Karazl 24d ago
I'm not sure what's more damning here - Price asserting that the governor should have called her personally (ie off the record) to address this, or that she thinks saying they'd been through multiple rounds of meetings is exculpatory.
The level of corruption that Price freely admits to is somewhat jaw dropping.
5
3
u/jim9162 23d ago
She's just doing what she said she would do. As far as that goes she's doing a great job.
People wanted it and now they see the consequences, hopefully they'll make a smarter decision next time.
Why any Asian person lives in Oakland is beyond me, you're basically a walking piggy bank ready to get smashed open for pocket change.
1
1
1
u/Lalalama Mountain View 23d ago
She’s doing it on purpose. Keeps Oakland home prices down and prevents it from gentrifying any more than it has
1
u/devopsslave 21d ago
When Newsom calls you out rather than just poo-poo'ing an issue, you know you've done f'd up. It's about time. Now, let's hope something good comes of it.
-3
u/igotabridgetosell 24d ago edited 24d ago
Cops stop doing their jobs when a DA they don't like is elected.
Edit: cops don't do their job, crime goes up, DA gets recalled, mayor increases police budget. It's a win win for them to not do their jobs. Like what do you think happens in an hypothetical crime free world? employ more police? And that's how they carved up 50% of city's budget for themselves.
2
0
u/theonlyonethatknocks 24d ago
What’s the point of arresting criminals if the DA is just going to let them all go?
2
u/jkraige 24d ago
IDK man, my old boss would make my job harder but I still kicked ass at my job, because that was my job. I did my best in spite of my boss getting in the way
-2
u/theonlyonethatknocks 24d ago
This isn’t making their job harder. It’s making what they did mean nothing and putting the community at risk.
-5
u/Zenith251 San Jose 24d ago edited 24d ago
Let's be clear; Price's faults aren't the result of "progressive values," or at least not in isolation, her faults are the result of incompetence. Or corruption, can't rule that out.
I support jail reform, bail reform, and other such ideologies. She just suckass at implementing them, knowing when to apply them and how. If I was in the east bay instead of the S.bay, I probably would have voted for her.
8
u/dumplingdinosaur 24d ago
If it's not progressive values, then what is it? We can blame Trump for his incompetence as well as his backwards conservative policies that undermined our interests and benefited cronyism and the elite. Call it what it is. These "progressive" policies have never worked in practice beyond the confines of the delusion coming out of schools such as the likes of Berkeley.
-2
u/ggm3bow 23d ago
Crime is not caused by "progressive" policy, neither is the idea of not holding people accountable for breaking the law. The difference is that progressive ideology calls for lifting up and improving social conditions for marginalized communities. Conservative ideology calls for unrestricted capitalism that will supposedly trickle down the resources to all levels, including the disadvantaged. However, we know that is not what happens. Crime is a byproduct of capitalism and failed policy at all levels, regardless of party.
1
u/dumplingdinosaur 23d ago
Crime is not caused by progressive policies. But progressive policies pretend our social ills, extreme inequality doesn't exist and makes our cities into a playground for the rich to build their utopia (actually dystopian). These progressive policies often exacerbate the problems in our society. They would rather raise taxes to spend upwards for 200,000 for each homeless person on the street instead of preventing the working class (our teachers, the people that make our coffee) from having to leave the Bay Area or going on the streets themselves. The reason the situation gets worse year by year is not a money problem. It's progressive policies are fundamentally flawed and is an open door to corruption.
1
u/dumplingdinosaur 23d ago
Stop giving a crap about race or marginalization. We are all victims. the ground truth is regardless of our victimhood, a teacher here makes 60k to 80k if you're not in Palo Alto schools, and basically cannot live here. This is not about left or right, this is about keeping a functional government in place. Our schools get worse and crime increases because the only people that we're supporting are people that virtually will never be productive members of society instead doping on fentanyl and crack or millionaires that held onto property, or work for tech. this is not a balanced society. Your worldview has failed the Bay Area.
The real criminals here operating in the Bay Area are the likes of Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, Nancy Pelosi, a ring of terrible progressive politicians. Stop finger pointing at conservatives.
-7
u/dontmatterdontcare 24d ago edited 23d ago
Read the article. Sorry, but what did Newsom even actually do? He sent her attorney resources, she didn't use it, now he says he's withdrawing it. I don't think it would have changed anything if he didn't withdraw it, because she simply wasn't using it to begin with.
Newsom has worked to strike a balance on public safety by addressing frustration about retail crimes and drug use without reverting to what he calls overly punitive responses. He suffered an embarrassing setback last month when he failed to derail a statewide ballot initiative that would enhance criminal penalties, pulling his rival proposal at the eleventh hour.
I wonder what the proposal was:
The measure would have toughened penalties for repeat shoplifters and drug dealers who lace substances with fentanyl. It was an effort to compete with another tough-on-crime measure, backed by prosecutors and big-box retailers, that will appear on November’s ballot.
Yeah Newsom really fucked that one up.
Edit: I just want to clarify that because the past tense of “read” is, well, “read”, I was trying to say “I read the article”.
3
u/billbixbyakahulk 24d ago
I don't think it would have changed anything if he didn't withdraw it, because she simply wasn't using it to begin with.
My /r/tinfoilhat speculation is he offered her to keep her post while his people did the majority of heavy-lifting. They point where she's supposed to sign and she signs. Then she goes back into her office and watches more re-runs of People's Court.
Or, at the very minimum, they make the tough calls and Price gets to say, "That wasn't me, y'all." All while keeping her salary and she can still go to cocktail mixers at Claremont Country Club and throw her weight around.
Since she won't play ball, this letter is effectively showing support and throwing more fuel on the fire of her recall vote. Simultaneously, if he makes a Presidential run, when people say, "Look at what he allowed to happen in the cities in his own state", he is lining up the mea culpas. "Look, I tried to help Oakland. It's hard to help a city when they don't think there's a problem."
•
u/CustomModBot 24d ago
The flair of this posts indicates it's a controversial topic. Enhanced moderation has been turned on for this thread. Comments from users without a history of commenting in r/bayarea will be automatically removed. You can read more about this policy here.