Alameda County just paid $800,000 to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit against recalled DA Pamela Price — who is now running to get her job back. The settlement follows a pattern of failures across the Bay Area's criminal justice system, from a San Francisco judge releasing the killer of 84-year-old Grandpa Vicha on probation the same day he was sentenced, to SF courts that haven't reported a single data point to the state in five years. How prosecutors, judges, and courts handle accountability has real consequences — and right now, the Bay Area is getting a crash course in what happens when they don't.
Judge Begert awarded diversion to a man with 18 burglaries. He didn't even show up to court. This is what "following the law" looks like.
Judge Begert diverted armed robbers and attempted murderers into "treatment." Now a homicide prosecutor is taking over.
A woman connected to killing an Asian senior is about to dodge trial while BART attackers walk free. January 12 is the test.
The murderer walks free. The public defender wants charges dismissed. This is what "reform" looks like.