March 4, 2024
OAKLAND, CA—District Attorney Pamela Price is being accused of “constantly and openly” making derogatory comments about Asian Americans and violating the Public Records Act by deleting, altering, and hiding public records.
In a leaked letter obtained by The Berkeley Scanner, Patti Lee, an Asian-American woman hired as Price’s spokeswoman and later fired after six months, says the Alameda County DA’s Office fired her after she raised concerns about the alleged Public Records Act violations.
Price is also accused of constantly making derogatory comments against Asians and at one point openly said “the media and the Asians” were her enemy, according to Lee’s attorney, Roxborough, Pomerance, Nye & Adreani, LLP.
Lee claims retaliation, discrimination, wrongful termination, and failure to pay wages, and is seeking a $1.5 million settlement, according to The Berkeley Scanner.
“We are open to early private mediation in lieu of potentially costly litigation which will certainly be the topic and headline of news articles given the alarming allegations made against District Attorney Pamela Price,” the firm stated. “This case seriously implicates the integrity of the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the public’s confidence in ensuring that transparency in receiving public records.”
Lee’s letter also stated records were withheld last year relating to an incident involving The Berkeley Scanner founder Emilie Raguso. Price refused to allow Raguso to attend one of her press conferences and attributed the decision to security issues.
First Amendment attorneys stated it appeared that Raguso was barred because Price was unhappy with her coverage.
Pamela Price also blocked Asian Crime Report and Asian Dawn from “X,” formerly known as Twitter, after repeated coverage of her blatant discriminatory actions against the Asian community and her incompetence.
After Raguso was denied entry to a November 29 press event, she and other journalists made a Public Records Act request the very next day for documents related to the DA’s office media policies and press list.
“It became evident that instead of producing responsive records to CPRA requests, the Alameda County District Attorney chose instead to hide, delete, and change the records,” according to the letter. “Significantly, Ms. Lee was aware of responsive documents that existed and contradicted the narrative that the office wanted to portray.”
Feature Screenshots via YouTube & KTVU