Why this race? We expect the Alameda County District Attorney (DA) race to be competitive, as current DA O’Malley is retiring after 37 years. The DA’s office holds enormous power, as this office holder can drastically change youth and adult incarceration rates in Alameda County as well as hold law enforcement accountable. EBC Action plans to directly influence this key race by creating a policy position floor that all viable candidates must meet.

What becomes possible?

With your support, EBC Action can fight for the following outcomes: (A) Non-enforcement or non-prosecution: Through strategies like report cards and public town halls, we can pressure DA candidates to commit to not enforcing categories of “survival crime” and instead allocate resources towards supporting people who need them. This includes categories like drug possession and sex work. (B) Diversion: Pushing for commitments from DA candidates to prioritize diversion centers the idea that people cannot get well in a cell. Building on Prop 57 and the Ella Baker Center’s reputation fighting for youth justice, we will urge DA candidates to end the unjust prosecution of young people as adults. Through decades of organizing, we have strong ties with community members who have experienced firsthand how the DA exploits loopholes in the law to keep our loved ones incarcerated. Leveraging this wisdom and our political power, we can work to expand opportunities for people to receive support in their own communities instead of locking them up.

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Why this race? Engagement with the Alameda County Board of Supervisors election is crucial to advancing our mission of shifting money and resources away from punishment-based solutions and instead investing in programs that impact our community.

In the midst of a global pandemic, we are witnessing the poor investments of our government laid bare: people in need of ventilators gasping for breath, while police are deploying riot gear at people protesting racial injustice. Further, Alameda County has one of the largest reserves of any county in the state, our leaders have yet to put those resources towards the public health solutions that we need. With progressive leadership at the helm, we can build the strong social safety net that our community deserves.

Given the tragic, untimely death of Supervisor Wilma Chan, it is important that we secure her legacy as a more progressive District 3 vote on the board and to ensure a progressive majority on the board as a whole. This is a key seat and currently a swing vote, we have officially endorsed Rebecca Kaplan for this seat.

What becomes possible? If we elect Supervisors who align with a vision of a restorative youth support system, we could organize the rest of the Board with strength, defund probation, and invest in a different model of youth justice. 

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