Alameda County's new district attorney is Judge Ursula Jones Dickson

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday appointed a new district attorney.

Judge Ursula Jones Dickson said that she would bring administrative expertise to the role if tapped and pledged to meet with families of every homicide case.

"I think you show respect to the families and clear communication about what's going on with these cases that have been sitting for years," Jones Dickson said.

Following her appointment, Jones Dickson told KTVU she was thankful both for the words of encouragement and the pushback from the community.

"When people feel like they need something, they're going to come at you a little bit," Jones Dickson said. "And when people are supported, that's great too. But when you represent the county, you work with everybody, and the goal is to work with everybody. I'm ready and able to do that."

Who is she?

What we know:

Jones Dickson will take the reins of the district attorney's office from interim District Attorney Royl Roberts, and will serve until an election is held in 2026.

Supervisors hope Jones Dickson can be sworn in by Feb. 4, depending on her schedule.

Roberts assumed the role after former District Attorney Pamela Price was ousted by voters in a November election. He was Price's right-hand man and did not run to keep the job.

The board considered seven candidates to replace Price, who was criticized for being soft on crime.

What's next:

KTVU legal analyst Michael Cardoza called the selection a home-run, saying her qualifications are exactly what the county needs. He says she needs to focus on keeping an open line of communication with victims.

"That was the biggest problem with Pamela Price," he said.

"She paid little, if no attention to victims, victims' families or victims' concerns. I guarantee you, the new district attorney, will rectify all of that."

Her appointment is getting applause from advocates and families of criminal cases in the court system.

"Hopefully we get a DA  that is going to make sure victims, all victims of violence, whether it's state violence, gun violence on the street, they hold the murderers accountable," said Amanda Majail-Blanco.

Her brother was shot and killed by California Highway Patrol in June 2020. Though she tried to file murder charges, her case never made it to criminal court.

Now, she advocates for the family of Mario Gonzalez, a man killed by City of Alameda police. 

"We saw some technicalities and things in Mario Gonzalez's case on the prosecutors and defense attorneys' side that definitely could've been better."

A judge dropped manslaughter charges against three accused officers, in part, due to missed deadlines and inconsistent testimonies.

Reaction, also came from Sophia Crisostomo - her daughter was shot and killed in a car, driving on I-880 by suspected gang members. Pamela Price did not pursue special circumstances, meaning if convicted, the suspects would be offered parole.

A statement to KTVU, endorsing Jones Dickson, reads:

"I believe her leadership will bring positive change for justice, especially for victims and their families. I look forward to meeting with her, as I have faith that she will work to rebuild the trust and integrity of the office."

Dickson, who spent several years as an Alameda County deputy district attorney before being appointed to the Superior Court, said she will "make sure we tamp down all of this political rhetoric about this office. This office was never this political, it should never be."

She added she was inspired to step down from the bench and take the opportunity with the DA's office in part due to all of the support Alameda County has provided her throughout her career. 

"This county has invested a lot in me," Jones Dickson said. "My entire legal career has been here. All of the training, all of the people that most lifted me up, were in the District Attorney's Office. I watched it struggle, I get to see it first hand. So if I'm going to complain about it, I'd better do something about it."

Jones Dickson said the position of district attorney will afford her more opportunities to serve the public as a whole, and her goal will be to bring what she brought to the court to the rest of the county.

"I try to listen to everybody, I believe everybody has a voice, and the goal is really just to make sure that people feel safer," she said. "The DA can't solve every problem, but we can do the DA's job."

Jones Dickson added that she thought Price erred in her approach because "she was more of an activist than a district attorney."

"Although I respect [Price's] convictions, they're not mine," Jones Dickson said. "I'm here to do a job, and as a judge, you have to be fair and impartial. You have to make sure you keep the law first, and this is a victim-centered process. It will be under my office going forward."

The Source: Information for this report comes from the Alamda County Board of Supervisors meeting held on Tuesday, January 28,2025.

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