Alameda County district attorney race: Who’s running?
Alameda County DA candidates debate - without interim top prosecutor
Recalled Alameda County DA Pamela Price wants her old job back. She debated a dark-horse candidate at Cal State East Bay. Current interim DA Ursula Jones Dickson opted not to attend.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Three candidates are vying for Alameda County district attorney at a time when violent crime and public safety dominate voter concerns.
The race features some familiar faces: incumbent District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, who was appointed following the 2024 recall of Pamela Price; Price herself, who is seeking to reclaim her former office; and Gopal Krishan, a challenger who argues his lack of prosecutorial experience is an asset.
Ursula Jones Dickson
What we know:
Jones Dickson, a former Alameda County Superior Court judge, took office in February 2025 after being appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Since taking the seat, she has focused on clearing a massive backlog of adult criminal cases, about 2,000, some of which she said had languished for over a year.
Drawing on her experience presiding over juvenile courts, she said her office made similar progress with juvenile case backlogs. Her primary promise, she's underscored, is to ensure victims' families receive justice and that the community has a clear voice in the legal process.
Jones Dickson previously said she has worked to strengthen the relationship between the DA’s office and the police department, saying she held transparent conversations with then-police chief Floyd Mitchell about mutual expectations along with what she sees in the community. However, she maintained that accountability applies to everyone.
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"The police don't get a pass," Jones Dickson said in a previous interview. "If there's something that the police have done, something outside their authority, they know that I'll be fair and impartial, just like when I was on the bench."
In a notable departure from Price’s policies, Jones Dickson removed the requirement for prosecutors to get approval before filing gun enhancements, charges that can lead to longer prison sentences. She also reinstated mandatory minimum sentences for illegal gun possession, a policy previously eliminated. The decision came after two school shootings, one at Skyline High School, and another at Laney College, that killed Coach John Beam.
Jones Dickson said mandatory minimums are a way to hold criminals accountable and ensure uniform sentencing, adding that the move was necessary to curb gun violence in the county.
Who's endorsing her?
Jones Dickson has garnered some strong support from local and state leaders, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta and former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Former District Attorney Nancy O’Malley and the mayors of every city within Alameda County have also thrown their support behind her.
Labor unions SEIU 1021 and IAFF Local 55 have also endorsed her.
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Pamela Price
What we know:
Pamela Price stunned some late last year when she announced a bid to reclaim her seat following a 2024 recall in which nearly 63% of voters ousted her from office.
Price has framed her 2026 campaign as a battle against billionaires, corporate corruption, and allies of President Donald Trump. However, she is also returning to the core promises that initially won her the office, criminal justice reform and police accountability.
"My top priority is keeping the people of Alameda County safe and making sure that our justice system is fair for everyone. Justice is in my DNA," Price said at a debate in March.
Price has accused her successor, District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, of refusing to hold law enforcement accountable for crimes committed within the county.
Price cited an Oct. 23 incident in which a Customs and Border Protection agent shot an Oakland pastor in the face with a chemical irritant during a protest at the entrance to Coast Guard Island. The pastor was rallying with dozens of other community members against an immigration and crime crackdown announced by Trump — an operation the president later paused. The Oakland Police Department and the DA have refused to say whether they would investigate or prosecute the federal agent who shot the pastor. Price told The Oaklandside she believes OPD should investigate the incident, and that the DA should charge the agent with criminal assault.
Since her ouster, Price has been a vocal critic of Jones Dickson’s reversal of several progressive policies. Jones Dickson has rolled back Price’s directive against filing most sentencing enhancements and paused reviews of death penalty cases suspected of being tainted by prosecutorial misconduct.
"When our DA refuses to look at cases we know were infected with racism and antisemitism, she is holding hands with racists and antisemites," Price said earlier.
During Price’s tenure, a federal judge ordered her office to review more than two dozen death penalty cases dating back to the 1970s. The order followed findings that Alameda County prosecutors had systematically excluded Black and Jewish people from juries. Under Price, several people were removed from death row, and one man’s conviction was overturned.
Alameda County D.A. Pamela Price pushes back against critics, marks 100 days in office
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However, after taking office, Jones Dickson withdrew several outstanding resentencing requests. Her administration accused Price’s team of failing to conduct thorough reviews before seeking the changes.
Price was originally elected in November 2022 with 53% of the vote, riding a wave of restorative justice sentiment following the 2020 murder of George Floyd. However, the political tide turned quickly as crime rates rose.
Critics, including victims' advocates and some elected officials, accused Price of being too lenient after she instructed deputies not to charge minors as adults and to avoid sentencing enhancements. Some residents blamed her prosecutorial stance for incentivizing crime in Oakland.
Price also faces allegations of creating a toxic workplace, leading to an exodus of seasoned lawyers, though Jones Dickson has also seen staff departures following her own personnel changes.
The recall effort, fueled by homicide victims' families and activists, signaled a significant backlash against progressive prosecution in the East Bay.
Who's endorsing her?
Price’s 2026 run is backed by several prominent activists and local figures, including Angela Davis, Catharine MacKinnon, and Elaine Brown. Civil rights attorney John Burris also threw his support behind Price, along with Ryan LaLonde of the Alameda Unified School District board member and Rivka Polatnick, former criminal justice chair of the Wellstone Renewal Democratic Club.
Gopal Krishan
What we know:
The final candidate is Gopal Krishan, a family law attorney who is pitching his lack of prosecutorial experience as a primary strength. Though he is considered a dark-horse candidate, Krishan said he doesn't want his newcomer status to discourage voters.
"This is the first time I’m running for any public office," Krishan said. He has framed his outsider status as an asset to the community.
"I think you need a new person who knows and can work for you, not for the businesses, not for corporations, not for the police associations," he said.
Krishan has adopted a "tough organized crime." On his campaign website, he says that organized theft "terrorizes neighborhoods, fuels drug addiction, and funds violence."
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He plans to disrupt these operations. which cost the state billions of dollars annually, by using RICO statutes and gang injunctions.
"For small businesses, like my business, and all other people, I will be extremely tough on organized crime," Krishan said during a debate forum last month. "They hurt the businesses; they take away the hope."
The owner of Allied Legal PC, Krishan has more than 15 years of experience in family and immigration law. He has vowed a zero-tolerance policy toward unlawful federal immigration operations in the county. Of note, such cooperation is often illegal under California’s sanctuary laws.
"I will refuse to allow the DA's office to be used as an instrument of unlawful federal immigration enforcement," Krishan said. "This is not about being soft on crime—it is about being smart and just. When immigrant communities distrust law enforcement, they stop reporting crimes. Victims go unheard. Witnesses stay silent. Everyone is less safe."
Who's endorsing him?
Krishan has secured support from several local commissioners and business leaders, including Inderjit Singh Chatha, a Union City Parks and Recreation commissioner; Smile Dhir, an Alameda County Human Relations commissioner; Ankit Panchal, North Pacific regional director at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association; and Jim Navarro of Wings of Angels Transport.
The Source: Campaigns of Ursula Jones Dickson, Pamela Price, Gopal Krisha, KTVU reporting, the Associated Press, and Oaklandside.