Alameda County's Top 2 Law Enforcement Agencies Make History

ALAMEDA, CA — Thanks to the support of voters countywide who believed in their campaign promises of reform, two women of color, Pamela Price and Yesenia Sanchez are breaking barriers in Alameda County.

The two were elected by voters in the November general election to serve as the county's top law enforcement officers, something no woman of color has ever done in the county's history.

Newly sworn DA Pamela Price, a civil rights attorney, took office during a ceremony held at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse Tuesday, Dec. 4. She is the 14th District Attorney of Alameda County and the first African-American person and only the second woman elected to the position.

"My vision is to serve you as a Minister of Justice,” Price said during a speech she gave following the swearing in. “My job is to protect public safety by advancing justice."

Price said the goals of her office are to "reduce crime and criminal activity, engage the entire community in eliminating exploitation and violence against vulnerable members of the community, and lead the conversation about justice in the diverse communities that we represent."

Price is a graduate of Yale College and UC Berkeley Law School and has been practicing law for more than 40 years. She is a survivor of juvenile justice and foster care systems and brings to the helm of the office a knowledge and understanding of those systems, a new release issued by the county said.

Sanchez, a Latina and a 24-year veteran of theAlameda County Sheriff’s Office, made history when she was sworn in as Sheriff Tuesday, Dec. 4 in a separate ceremony held at the Scottish Rite Center.

As the first woman and Latina to hold the office, Sanchez replaced longtime Sheriff Gregory Ahern, who had been sheriff since 2007 and served in the sheriff's office for more than 33 years.

"The moment capped a stunning upset in the June primary election that saw Sanchez defeat longtime Sheriff Gregory Ahern, who had never faced an election opponent since rising to office 16 years ago," the East Bay Times reported.

During a speech shortly after being sworn in, Sanchez said she her focus is on the "reforms needed" to "ensure the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office demonstrates fair and equitable practices" in everything her department does in all that we do.”

“We’re going to be engaging our community members — you will have a voice in how we provide services,” Sanchez said.

Read more on the East Bay Times.