Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is an “authoritarian” and “toxic” manager whose ultra-woke approach has led scores of prosecutors to quit and 10,000 cases to pile up, sources tell The Post.
Justice is not being served in the most populous county in the nation because Gascón has driven talent away, demoted top lawyers and fights anyone who doesn’t share his views, according to multiple sources who have worked for him.
One former LA prosecutor said Gascón’s policies have eroded trust with the public the office serves, through generous plea deals allowing criminals to get out of jail or prison without serving hard time or declining to prosecute crimes at all.
“In my career as a prosecutor, I’ve never had victims’ families actually hate us until I came into this office,” a former deputy DA told The Post.
“We are hated by all the victims because of lack of prosecution and low sentences because of his policies.
“Gascón is so focused on justice for black and brown defendants, but the victims and their families are also black and brown. Where is the justice for them? We are making them victims of the criminal justice system yet again.”
Cuba-born Gascón, 69, assumed office in Los Angeles in 2020 after eight years serving as the DA of San Francisco. He has been divisive from the start and has survived two attempts to recall him from the position.
“The reputation of the office has been destroyed and people know he’s hostile to his employees,” said Eric Siddall, vice president of the LA County Association of Deputy District Attorneys.
“He has an authoritarian management style, and engages in retaliatory acts against employees who don’t share his ideology.”
Sources claimed the District Attorney’s Office has over 200 open positions, which has contributed to the huge backlog in cases, which sources say is up to 10,000 which have yet to be filed.
The DA’s Office disputed the hiring figure, claiming they only have a total of 139 positions available and blaming “retirement and a previous hiring freeze,” but would not comment on the number of cases piled up.
Former Los Angeles County DA Steve Cooley, who ran the office from 2000 to 2012, told The Post that recruitment was never previously an issue, but the office has recently started to “hemorrhage” talent.
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