Fox News: LA County sheriff says he has no relationship with DA, his policies ‘are not working

Los Angeles County sheriff Alex Villanueva said he has spoken to District Attorney George Gascón once since he assumed office in December, and said it was a “big problem” that rioters might believe they will face no “prosecutorial consequence.”

“If you make an arrest [during riots] are you worried there won’t be a prosecutorial fist behind it?” Fox 11 LA asked the sheriff.

“That is definitely a legitimate concern because if there is a lack of a prosecutorial fist that might actually embolden some of our Antifa and anarchist crowd, some of the radical elements that try to hijack peaceful protest for their own personal gain,” Villanueva said.

“If they feel they aren’t going to receive any prosecutorial consequence, that is a big problem that is something that the DA himself is going to have to answer to,” he continued.

Complete article here.

LA Magazine: A Media Savvy Deputy DA Is Leading a Noisy Crusade Against the DA

On March 9, the Fox News morning show Fox & Friends aired a blistering segment attacking newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón and his decision to bar prosecutors from pursuing the death penalty against a pair of accused child murderers. The guest for the segment was Jon Hatami, head of the DA’s child abuse unit and the lead prosecutor on the case. If it is unusual for a prosecutor to batter his boss on national TV, it is extraordinary for one to say, as Hatami did that morning, “We now have a district attorney who is pro-criminal, anti-victim, and who refuses to follow the law.”

But these are extraordinary times in the Los Angeles DA’s office. Gascón unseated incumbent Jackie Lacey in November and vowed to shake things up inside the nation’s largest local prosecutor’s office. And on his first day on the job, he delivered with a dizzying set of reforms, from suspending the death penalty to getting rid of cash bail to ending the practice of charging juveniles as adults. The backlash has been as big and dramatic as the implications of the changes; it has been furious and, increasingly, politically opportunistic.

Complete article here.

Daily News: LA DA’s plan to downsize DA’s gang unit concerns top deputies, demoralizes prosecutors

In a Zoom call with dozens of wary deputy district attorneys, two top lieutenants of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón acknowledged it will be “an uphill battle” to quickly implement his controversial plan to downsize and rebrand the office’s vaunted Hardcore Gang Investigations Unit.

For nearly an hour last week, Maria Ramirez, director of the Bureau of Special Prosecution, and Larry Droeger, prosecution support operations director, consoled and tried to reassure more than 30 prosecutors about the future of the scaled-down operation, according to a recording of the Zoom meeting obtained by the Southern California News Group.

Many of prosecutors on the call have already been transferred from the hardcore unit or will be soon moved to branches and area offices throughout Los Angeles County, where they will possibly receive less high-profile assignments.

“This sucks, you know,” Ramirez told the deputy district attorneys during the Zoom meeting. “I’m trying to just sort of make the best of it. And it’s going to be kind of an uphill battle. But in the end, you know, we have to just remember why we do what we do, and remember that we do it for the communities and to keep the community safe, and to put bad guys away.”

Complete article here.

Associated Press: L.A. County DA faces blowback in first months of launching ambitious slate toward criminal justice reform

Minutes after George Gascón was sworn in as Los Angeles County district attorney, he fulfilled a promise to institute sweeping criminal justice reform, sending a lengthy memo ordering prosecutors to stop seeking longer prison sentences, among other changes.

To many of his deputies, it may as well have been a declaration of war. The union representing prosecutors quickly sued their new boss to block the policy.

More resistance followed. Other county district attorneys took the unusual step of criticizing Gascón’s policies as reckless and tried to take cases from his jurisdiction. Before completing his first 100 days in office, a campaign kicked off to recall him. It’s co-chaired by the widow of an officer killed in the line of duty who is furious Gascón won’t seek the death penalty.

“There’s a fundamental difference in philosophy in that he’s prioritizing the needs of the accused and ignoring the needs of public safety and the victims,” said Michele Hanisee, a deputy district attorney and president of the union representing rank-and-file prosecutors.

Gascón said anyone surprised with his policies wasn’t paying attention during last fall’s campaign, and labeled opponents old-school fearmongers.

“They continue to follow the playbook of the ‘80s and ’90s,” Gascón said. “It’s a simple message, right? Scare the heck out of people, and hopefully that will work for you.”

Gascón is part of a wave of progressive DAs elected in cities including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Austin, Texas. As the largest DA’s office in the country — with nearly 1,000 prosecutors and a jurisdiction with 10 million residents — LA is the highest-profile.

Other reform-minded DAs have encountered resistance from within their offices and police, but none has faced blowback like Gascón, said Daniel Medwed a law professor at Northeastern University in Boston.

Complete article here.

Jewish Journal: A Horrible Crime in Beverly Hills Is Made Worse By LA DA’s Policies

Patrons enjoying an outdoor meal at Il Pastaio restaurant on March 4th in Beverly Hills were terrified, as it would be for any of us. A targeted attack during a quiet lunchtime in a peaceful community had taken place before their eyes.  A man was robbed of his watch and a bystander woman was shot and seriously injured.

The City of Beverly Hills and Beverly Hills Police Department responded as citizens who care about public safety would hope. BHPD has been present, has addressed the community worries and fears, and has made a commitment to “take every possible measure to ensure (their) safety and security.”

This sounds positive, right?  But, that’s not the only story. What’s at stake is far more frightening than the alarming armed robbery and shooting carried out in broad daylight.
Justice won’t feel so just if and when this case gets presented to George Gascón and his Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Why? Because Gascón’s policies command prosecutors to take every possible measure to avoid full prosecution, avoid holding criminals on bail, limit incarceration, minimize punishment, and of course, ignore the victims.

Complete article here.