The recall campaign to remove Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton from her post recently got a double boost with a cash infusion from a longstanding adversary and the hiring of a consultant with successful track record of ousting DAs.
On Saturday, the Recall Diana Becton campaign posted on social media that the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Deputy Association, the union that represents deputies of the sheriff’s office, had donated $50,000 to its recall effort.
The donation marks the latest effort by the union to oust Becton. It also lobbied against her in the years after her appointment as district attorney in 2017, and during subsequent elections in 2018 and 2022.
The campaign has also hired Richard Schlackman, a Phoenix-based consultant who worked on the successful recall campaigns of former district attorneys Chesa Boudin in San Francisco, and Pamela Price in Alameda County.
“We will draw on Mr. Schlackman’s recall expertise to refine our strategy and maximize the success of the recall of Diana Becton,” the post reads. “Our hard work over the past months has sparked excitement throughout the entire CCC community and we are on an upward trajectory of support that is increasing daily.”
To successfully force a recall election, the campaign must gather signatures from 10% of registered Contra Costa County voters — at least 72,566 — by Sept. 25.
Two PACS have emerged to oppose the recall
The 2024 recall of Price raised several million dollars, most of which were contributions made to a political action committee (PAC) by wealthy individuals and big companies, many of whom were connected to real estate, construction, finance, and tech.
The group behind the Recall Diana Becton campaign — which includes 10 family members of crime victims including two Richmond murder victims — has said it is concerned about a “persistent cycle of unaddressed criminal activity,” as well as “empty promises” and a “lack of transparency” from Becton. In recent months, large recall signs have popped up around west Contra Costa County.
Two PACs have also emerged to oppose the recall: Safer Contra Costa, Opposing the Recall of Diana Becton, and Stand with DA Becton Stop the Recall. According to campaign finance reports, Safer Contra Costa received a $15,000 contribution from Sacramento-based Smart Justice California Action Fund, a criminal justice reform lobbying group. Stand with DA Becton has not filed any financial contribution reports so far.
Prior to the $50,000 donation, according to the most recent campaign filing report, posted on July 15, the recall campaign had gathered $8,740, making the deputy sheriff’s contribution the largest donation since its launch.
Sheriff David Livingston has long been a vocal critic of Becton. Speaking ahead of her appointment as district attorney in 2017, he told county supervisors the choice would be “offensive to law enforcement.”
Livingston also called Becton’s decision to prosecute a former county deputy DA “abhorrent” in a department-wide email after his sentencing, according to media reports at the time.
In April 2021 Becton charged former Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Hall with felony assault in the 2018 fatal shooting of 33-year-old Laudemer Arboleda. It was the first time a law enforcement officer in Contra Costa County faced felony charges for an on-duty shooting.
Hall was convicted in October 2021 and sentenced to six years in prison in March 2022 — one of the longest sentences of its kind for a California officer, drawing backlash from law enforcement groups.
In 2022, the deputies’ union contributed roughly $210,000 to oppose Becton’s re-election through an independent expenditure committee called Contra Costans for Progress and Justice which supported her challenger Mary Knox. The group raised more than $250,000 from police unions across the county.
Becton refutes accusations she has been soft on crime
Becton, the first woman, and first African American, to serve as Contra Costa County’s district attorney, survived the challenge and won re-election with 56% of the vote.
In late June, Becton, who lives in El Sobrante, attended a backyard event hosted by Richmond District 4 City Council member Soheila Bana. The gathering was intended to give Becton a platform to respond to the recall which, she said, would cost taxpayers an estimated $8.5 million. Becton touted her accomplishments as the county’s chief prosecutor, including securing a federal grant in 2018 to create a human trafficking unit, forming a Major Crimes Task Force that collaborates with other agencies to prosecute violent and nonviolent organized crime, as well as a cold case unit to investigate long unsolved homicide cases using technology. And she refuted accusations that she has been soft on crime.
This will be another Chevron vs the people battle. Money, paid “volunteers”, endless slick mailers, devilish pictures of her replete with horns and lies about crime going amuck. Finally a policeman is held accountable and instead of clearing their own ranks of trigger happy officers they intimidate a D. A. that had the temerity to do her job. Police unions here and across the country don’t want to be held accountable for murder. Being a policeman is a hard job, no doubt about that and they need to be better vetted and not allowed to just transfer to another law enforcement agency. Giving veterans 10 extra points in this particular classification may not be the best idea since many have killed before and may be prone to do so again.
Proponent Stephen Arellano here to clear the Air. My Son Thomas Arellano was stabbed to death on 1-22-22 by Habitual Felon Gerald Delgado who had previously pulled a Knife on Antioch Police Officer Tom Smith while out on Bail on a 3rd strike charge. This article does not cover the fact that on that date Becton was in the middle of trying to Charge Officer Andrew Hall with Murder for properly shooting Tyrell Wilson in the head for coming at him with a Knife and saving people from this danger to society. His first shooting was also justified, if you haven’t seen the video you cannot understand how much the press lies and ignores the truth. Two days after I got my Sons Killer Arrested Diana Becton and the rest of the Organized Crime Operation installed the killers personal prior Lenient fake Judge Mary Ann O’Malley. These scumbags of the earth vultures buryed my case and gave the killer the same Judge who sent the killer to drug rehab after he attempted to murder a Police Officer. The agenda driven pond scum needs to be arrested and I am Pressing Charges. Federal Lawsuits 24-cv-02250-WHO and 9th Circuit 24-5780 and new case 25-cv-03690-TSH reassigned to Fentanyl Mass Murderer Lenient fanticist Activist fake Judge William H Orrick who had previously dismissed his Friends 🧡 without allowing me to be heard, 9th Circuit unheard and dismissed despite 9 lbs of evidence and new case filed a Motion to Disqualify Orrick and that Pond scum refused to Disqualify and dismissed my Lawsuit against the Concord Police Department without allowing me to be heard. I have no civil rights and Judges are frauds. I told Orrick in my motion it is also my form 95 notifying him he is getting a lawsuit. Judges get away with what ever they want, the Judicial Commission dismisses 97% of cases without any investigation on automatic and they are lying scum. So .uch more such as my fake Homicide Detective Chris Loercher shot and killed unarmed Charles Burns in 2013, Fake Unethical Prosecutor Kevin Bell was Loercher’s partner on site at the killing and these folks have a conflict of interest and should be nowhere near a murder case. UNHEARD AND UNSTOPPABLE…Warrior for Jesus