30 Mar District Attorney Calls Effort to Remove Her Politically Motivated

Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton speaks at a press conference in Martinez on Oct. 28, 2022. (Ray Saint Germain / Bay City News)

By Thomas Hughes and Tony Hicks
Bay City News

Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in her official filing in response to a recall campaign initiated against her that the effort would “undermine the will of the people.”

The recall campaign was launched by a group called Recall District Attorney Diana Becton that is made up of relatives of victims of violent crime in the county who accused Becton of not pursuing justice in their cases.

The group includes family members of Allie Sweitzer, who was shot and killed in a park in Richmond in 2017, and relatives of Alexis Gabe, who was allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2022.

In its petition to initiate a recall, the group said Becton’s office lacked transparency, made empty promises to families of victims, and that it was concerned about what it called a “persistent cycle of unaddressed criminal activity.”

Becton responded in a filing with the county Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Office slamming the recall as “a politically motivated attack that misrepresents her record and undermines the will of Contra Costa County voters.”

Becton cited her electoral victories in 2018 and 2022 and listed several areas of law enforcement that she said were “bold actions to protect our communities.” She said her office was “aggressively prosecuting violent offenders, addressing organized retail theft, human trafficking, hate crimes, and eliminating backlogs of untested sexual assault kits.”

In the March 21 filing, Becton said she had expanded victim support services and “pioneered proactive crime prevention programs.”

She urged voters to reject the recall and said she was “committed to justice, transparency, and creating communities where all residents can thrive.”

To qualify the recall for the ballot, signatures are required from 10% of the county’s registered voters within 160 days of the petition’s filing. That would be about 72,000 signatures. The county then has 30 business days to verify the signatures and, if verified, the Board of Supervisors has 14 days to call the special election.

The election must be held between 88 and 125 days from the supervisors’ approval, which the county elections office said would likely mean a special election in March 2026 if it qualifies for the ballot.

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