Judge Jones Dickson Named Interim D.A.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors picked current Superior Court Judge Ursula Jones Dickson to be the county’s new interim district attorney on Tuesday, January 28.
She will serve until the county’s next general election in 2026 and can then run for the remainder of the term of the recently recalled D.A. Pamela Price, which goes through 2028.
Price had been elected in 2022 to a four-year term, but in March 2024 voters changed some county office terms to align presidential election years, which extended Price’s term by two years. However, voters then recalled her last November, with her detractors charging she was overly lenient towards accused or in some cases convicted criminals.
Jones Dickson vowed to start rebuilding the office, which suffered several key resignations during Price’s time as D.A. She also promised to get rid of restrictions on charging crimes that critics said had hampered prosecutors.
District 3 Supervisor Lena Tam, in her January online newsletter, said “Ms. Jones Dickson brings valuable experience, having previously worked as a Deputy District Attorney. I’m confident that she will play a key role in rebuilding trust within our community, ensuring fair and just outcomes, and advancing our efforts toward criminal justice reform.”
Some prominent recall supporters told media outlets they were happy Jones Dickson had been selected. Co-chair Carl Chan, a leading activist against hate crimes directed toward Asians, told media outlets he was quite happy with Dickson Jones’s selection. Also expressing joy was Virginia Nishita, whose husband Kevin had been murdered while working as a security guard for KRON 4 television news.
Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE), which had organized the recall drive, had supported both Jones Dickson and fellow finalist Annie Esposito, currently assistant district attorney in Contra Costa County.
The same two finalists had also been endorsed by Peace Officers Research Association of California, who saw Price as not only too lenient toward criminals but also unfriendly toward law enforcement officers.
Almost immediately after being selected, Jones Dickson said she would ask Esposito to join her at the D.A.’s office as a top assistant. Esposito said she was still considering options, and did not promptly accept Jones Dickson’s offer.
Besides Esposito, finalists not chosen were Elgin Lowe, Alameda County senior deputy district attorney; Yibin Shen, Alameda City Attorney; Jimmie Wilson, Alameda County deputy district attorney; LaTricia Louis, deputy counsel for Alameda County; and Venus Johnson, chief deputy attorney general with the California Justice Department.
Johnson had drawn some key endorsements but also drew some opposition for her role as top assistant to state Attorney General Rob Bonta. This made her an “outsider” to some critics, though she had earlier served as an Alameda County prosecutor and as chief assistant to Contra Costa County district attorney Diana Becton.
The D.A.’s office had been headed temporarily after Price left office by Chief Assistant District Attorney Royl Roberts. He was not one of the finalists for the interim D.A. position.