Civil rights lawyer Pamela Worth declares victory in Alameda County DA’s race

OAKLAND – Civil rights lawyer Pamela Worth declared victory Monday in her bid to develop into the primary Black district lawyer in Alameda County historical past.

Worth gained the race with roughly 53 p.c of the vote and greater than 227,000 uncooked votes. County prosecutor Terry Wiley completed with slightly below 47 p.c.

County election officers confirmed the ultimate outcomes Friday within the race between Worth and Wiley, who was endorsed by outgoing District Legal professional Nancy O’Malley.

Worth stated in a press release Monday that Wiley contacted her Sunday to concede and pledge to assist her as she transitions into the district lawyer’s workplace.

“I’m so grateful to my superb marketing campaign staff, my marketing campaign supervisor and our communications director who labored tirelessly to ensure voters perceive what was actually and in truth at stake on this race. I’m so grateful for each vote I obtained,” Worth stated . “We are going to use it as gas to drive the change the county so desperately wants.”

Worth ran as a reform-minded candidate after spending her authorized profession as a public defender and later a non-public civil rights lawyer specializing in racial and sexual harassment circumstances.

As a part of its platform, Worth promised to not prosecute juveniles as adults, to carry police accountable for misconduct and to launch extra information in an effort to extend the workplace’s transparency.

Worth is the primary district lawyer elected in Alameda County since 1985. O’Malley has served because the county’s prime prosecutor since 2009, when she was appointed to the place after former DA Thomas Orloff retired in 2009.

O’Malley ran unopposed in 2010 and in 2014 earlier than beating Worth in 2018 with 57.8 p.c of the vote. She selected to not run for re-election in 2022.

“There are such a lot of layers of change wanted and it’ll take time to show the wheels of justice in the precise path, however I’m assured that our concepts, plans and rules would be the guideposts in that journey of change,” Worth stated.

District lawyer is a non-partisan place. Worth is ready to be sworn in on Jan. 3, 2023.