OAN’s Taylor Tinsley
1:30 PM – Wednesday, May 29, 2024
A progressive district attorney in California’s Bay Area is facing a recall election this November along with allegations of cultural appropriation.
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Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price canceled an event where she planned to announce her Chinese name on Tuesday. It was supposed to be held at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
The press conference (and cancellation) comes after former staffers accused Price of being “condescending and disrespectful” towards Asians last year.
Shortly after she initially announced the event, Price was accused of cultural appropriation.
The district attorney first published her Chinese name in April 2023, when she took out a full page ad in a Chinese-language World Newspaper.
“I think it is ridiculous, it’s cultural appropriation and pandering at the highest level,” said Charles Huang, founder of the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association.
Adopting a Chinese name, however, isn’t uncommon.
Vice President Kamala Harris did it while running for district attorney in 2003. Her Chinese name is “He Jinli.”
Bay Area politicians have been choosing their own Chinese names to appear on ballots and garner more support from Asian American voters.
The city’s Department of Elections started cracking down on the practice last year, however, candidates must now submit evidence proving that they’ve been using the name for at least two years.
Price is also facing a recall election this November, mainly due to surging crime in Oakland.
“Her actions of actually protecting the API community have been seen and on display based on her actions and striking all these enhancements and reducing charges to let violent criminals out,” Huang added.
Efforts to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (D-Calif.) are also underway.
“Thao is toast,” said one of the recall organizers on Wednesday.
The group looking to recall Thao, known as OUST, said they’ve collected over 30,000 signatures but want to collect thousands more before turning it over to the Registrar of Voters in July.
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