OAKLAND — The man temporarily filling in for Alameda County’s recalled district attorney went on a media blitz Monday, proclaiming that he would operate independently of his old boss’s edicts while suggesting that he’d review one of her marquee policies over the next couple months.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Royl Roberts also announced his first internal staffing changes Monday, a day before the county’s Board of Supervisors were set to begin the process for replacing recently recalled District Attorney Pamela Price. The former civil rights attorney left the office on Thursday as county officials certified the Nov. 5 election’s results, which saw voters turn against Price by a nearly two-to-one margin.
On Monday, Roberts said he had yet to make a decision on whether to apply for the position himself. In an interview, he instead touted the installation of three longtime Alameda County prosecutors with a combined 83 years of experience to oversee prosecutions over the next two months. He said he intends to “keep this ship running smoothly” and “continue to focus on public safety.”
But some things could change: Roberts said he plans to review Price’s policy that required administrative approval before the filing of sentencing enhancements. The policy — one of Price’s signature moves — had the effect of limiting prison sentences that many defendants were eligible to receive upon conviction. It became a lightning rod during the recall election as the district attorney’s critics sought to portray her as lenient on crime.
“We’re gonna take a look at it and give it kind of that forensic examination, and really try to see if that made this county more safe or less safe,” Roberts said.
A former director of operations at the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center, Roberts passed California’s bar exam in July 2022 and was subsequently named as general counsel for the Peralta Community College District. In January 2023, Price then made Roberts her top aid for administrative and personnel decisions.
On Monday, he stressed that his relative lack of experience prosecuting criminal cases was no hinderance for his current job, saying that he is well-equipped to oversee the agency’s $100-million budget and more than 400 employees.
“There’s so many aspects that comprise this job, other than just rank-and-file prosecutorial experience,” Roberts said. “What I would want the public to appreciate is there is a holistic aspect to it.”
Roberts’ statements came as the county’s Board of Supervisors prepare to begin the process of selecting a longer-term replacement for Price.
A memo accompanying the supervisor’s Tuesday meeting agenda outlined a two-month process that would include an application window and public interviews with a handful of finalists for the job. Under the proposed plan, applicants would have until Dec. 30 to submit a formal application, after which the supervisors would whittle the pool of contenders to a group of three to five finalists.
The finalists would be interviewed during a public meeting the week of Jan. 13, with a successor selected sometime in the next couple weeks. Under that timeline, a new district attorney would be sworn in on Jan. 28.
Several people are planning to apply.
Annie Esposito, who spent more than 20 years as an Alameda County prosecutor, confirmed to this newspaper Monday that she intends to go for the job. She left the office shortly after Price won election and joined the Contra Costa DA’s Office as an assistant district attorney.
Another longtime Alameda County prosecutor, Elgin Lowe, confirmed Monday that he plans vie for the position. A prosecutor in the county since December 1996, the senior deputy district attorney currently oversees all prosecutions at the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin.
Scott Tsui, a longtime Pleasanton resident and former Santa Clara County prosecutor of 26 years, said he intends to apply as well. He retired in 2021 as an assistant district attorney and a member of District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s executive management team.
Also considering the job is Yibin Shen, who has spent the past five years as Alameda’s city attorney. His tenure includes the implementation of a rare arrangement that allows city attorneys to criminally prosecute the majority of cases filed in the city of Alameda, including those that can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. Only a dozen other cities across the state — all of which exist in Southern California — operate with similar laws on their books.
They join a list of former Alameda County prosecutors who already confirmed their interest in the job: Venus Johnson, the chief deputy and senior advisor to state Attorney General Rob Bonta; L.D. Louis, an Alameda County deputy county counsel and Amilcar “Butch” Ford, now a San Francisco prosecutor.