Ursula Jones Dickson said her first act after being sworn in as Alameda County’s district attorney on Tuesday would be rescinding a defining policy of her predecessor, one that sought to spare most defendants from lengthy prison sentences.
The shift away from the policy, which required prosecutors to seek permission to file special allegations that could extend sentences, will represent a change of course for an office that prioritized criminal justice reforms under recalled District Attorney Pamela Price.
“I’m going to be a DA who realizes that the work is to make sure that the victims are heard and that public safety is at the forefront of everything we do,” Jones Dickson said in an interview ahead of her first day in office…