Gopal Krishan, a trial attorney with a family law background, is one of three candidates for Alameda County District Attorney, running against appointed incumbent Ursula Jones Dickson and former DA Pamela Price (recalled by voters in 2024). Valery R. Polyakov, a Stanislaus County deputy district attorney who lives in Oakley, is challenging Judge Jesse J. Hsieh for Position Q on the Contra Costa County Superior Court — the only contested judicial seat on this year's Contra Costa ballot.
The two sat down for a joint interview with OpGov.news reporter Naomi Heinen.
Krishan: modernize, then lead
Asked what he would change first, Krishan said his answer comes in two parts — the office's systems and its leadership.
On technology, Krishan said the Alameda County DA's tools have not been meaningfully updated since 2020 and that he has been unable to get clarity from the office's IT department on pending upgrades.
"When you have old IT, it means you are losing the efficiency, and in effect you are exposing yourself to newer threats," he said. He pledged to modernize the office's processing systems and cybersecurity within his first 90 days. (OpGov.news could not independently verify the 2020 date or the upgrade status.)
Krishan cited the office's roughly $110 million annual budget, 150 attorneys, and 250 support staff — figures broadly consistent with public reporting of more than 150 lawyers and a budget above $111 million.
"I have seen in many debates they have complained the budget is very low," he said of current leadership. "My job is to find the money. If you don't find the money, you find your efficiency. And when you are more efficient, you find the money."
His critique of current leadership was direct.
"The leadership I'm seeing is failure," Krishan said. "If you don't identify the problem, there is no way you can resolve those issues. If you have the same leadership, you're going to have the same office in the future. I am that change."
He said he would delegate authority to experienced deputies rather than centralize decisions. "Many ADAs in the office, they are very skilled… When we respect that, that gives them the autonomy."
Krishan has also campaigned on opposing what he calls unlawful local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, prosecuting hate crimes, and a tough-on-crime approach to organized retail and violent crime.
Polyakov: from scientist to prosecutor to candidate
Polyakov, born in Kyiv, Ukraine, holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and was named a Fulbright Scholar in 1996. He worked in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals before graduating from Northwestern California University School of Law in 2013 and entering legal practice.
Krishan asked Polyakov how he would make the mental shift from prosecutor — where the job is to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt — to judge, where the role requires impartiality.
Polyakov said his career has spanned civil litigation, patent law, family law, and criminal law before becoming a prosecutor, and that he has served as a volunteer settlement officer and supervising attorney at the Alameda County Bar Association's Low-Income Landlord clinic.
Asked what motivated him to enter law, Polyakov pointed to his early life in Soviet-era Ukraine and to delays in his U.S. citizenship process after immigrating, which he said shaped his views on how legal systems can either protect or fail individuals.
Krishan, in turn, told Polyakov his cross-disciplinary background was an asset for the bench: "You can handle so many assignments. I believe that's very good that you are the judge and you have the understanding of multiple sectors."
One ballot date
Both candidates appear on the June 2, 2026 primary ballot — Krishan on Alameda County's, Polyakov on Contra Costa's. If no Alameda DA candidate clears 50%, the top two advance to November. Contested judicial races like Polyakov's are rare in California; incumbent judges who face no opposition do not appear on the ballot at all. Vote-by-mail ballots went out the week of May 4.
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