Request by former Alameda County prosecutor to dismiss misdemeanor charge denied

The bid by a former Alameda County prosecutor — and vocal critic of District Attorney Pamela Price — to have the criminal case against him tossed on constitutional grounds was denied Friday.

Amilcar “Butch” Ford was ordered to appear for trial on Nov. 27 after Alameda County Judge James Cramer struck down a request by the former longtime senior county prosecutor to have his case tossed. In ruling from the bench, Cramer disagreed with Ford's contention that the law in question is unconstitutionally vague or overbroad, while also stressing that his decision said nothing about the actual evidence in the case, filed by Ford's former boss.

Ford — now a prosecutor with the San Francisco District Attorney's Office — could be disbarred if convicted of defending after public prosecution as the prosecutor, a seldom-used line of the state's business and professions code aimed at rooting out corruption. He pleaded not guilty moments after the judge's ruling Friday and remains free on his own recognizance.

The case stems from a decision by Price to take the rare step in July of charging one of her former employees — a decision that prompted claims by Ford, the former head of Alameda County's felony trial team — that the prosecution was politically motivated. Ford has publicly clashed with Price on multiple occasions, most notably when he pilloried his former boss at a rally in April that called for Price to be removed from office.

Price alleged Ford broke the state's business and professions code in April when he filed a declaration supporting an East Bay attorney's unsuccessful bid to disqualify Price from the case of Jason Fletcher. Fletcher, a former San Leandro police officer, faces a manslaughter charge in the 2020 on-duty shooting death of Steven Taylor. A month after filing the declaration, Ford resigned to work for