Former Ah County District Attorney O’Malley and former Wulun Mayor Xue Libi both supported the removal of their successors._1

Former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf publicly called for the recall of current Mayor Sheng Thao just last week. Following her lead, former Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley this week urged voters to support the recall of her successor, Pamela Price, in the election scheduled for November 5.

Political observers interpret these statements from O’Malley and Schaaf as indicative of a notable rift between moderate and progressive factions within the Democratic Party. They suggest that the efforts of Price and Thao to solidify their power and support may be on the verge of failure.

Dan Schnur, a political analyst at UC Berkeley, remarked that these contentious recall elections have transcended ordinary policy differences, devolving into deeper, more personal conflicts. “This situation is quite rare. Typically, such political divides are kept hidden, but recall elections force them into the open,” he noted.

On October 23, O’Malley, who served as district attorney for 12 years, expressed that Price’s conduct in office has been “heartbreaking.” She accused Price of intimidating political rivals and misrepresenting her own performance during her tenure. O’Malley stated, “She is unqualified and incapable of holding this position. Under her leadership, this office has become unmanageable.”

The Mercury News pointed out that O’Malley had endorsed Price’s opponent in the 2022 election for district attorney and had largely refrained from making public comments after Price took office.

Just last week, Schaaf also called on voters to recall Sheng Thao, claiming Thao lacks the competence for the role. In an interview, Schaaf said, “I will be voting in favor of recalling Sheng Thao because Oakland’s financial stability and public safety cannot endure another two years of her mismanagement.”

Until last week, local Democrats, including Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, had maintained a moderate stance regarding the recall efforts, primarily criticizing the recall process itself as “undemocratic, costly, and chaotic.”

Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who represents Oakland, stated, “Now is the time for us to come together to address the truly serious issues facing our community. Recall efforts only hinder our officials from fulfilling their duties and drain our community of essential resources.”

Similarly, Senator Nancy Skinner, representing Berkeley, expressed her opposition to recalls on social media, asserting, “I am against recalls in principle unless there is egregious misconduct. They are undemocratic and waste public resources.”

An important exception is Congressman Eric Swalwell, who has supported the recall of Price for several months and has publicly urged her to “tweet less and prosecute more.”

Within hours of O’Malley’s statement, Price responded by accusing the former district attorney of having caused “harm” to the office during her tenure. During a press conference on the afternoon of October 23, Price claimed that a former prosecutor, now a judge, had attempted to cover up incidents wherein the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office prevented Jewish and Black residents from serving on juries in death penalty cases. This incident occurred in 2004 when O’Malley was a senior prosecutor under former DA Tom Orloff.

The Mercury News reported that Price frequently criticizes O’Malley during press conferences and other public meetings, claiming she inherited a “mess” when she took office. Price has recently added that O’Malley’s outdated data management system led to the expiration of over 1,000 misdemeanor cases in Alameda County.

In response to Schaaf’s criticism, Thao’s campaign team denounced the wealthy supporters backing the recall and pointed out that Schaaf had just settled with Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission earlier this month for $21,000, due to allegations that she improperly controlled a political committee targeting her.