Fox 11: Campaign officials: ‘Recall Gascón’ petition approved by LA County registrar, needs 590k signatures

A campaign pushing to recall George Gascón from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office says it reached a major milestone Thursday.

The “Recall George Gascón” campaign announced via press release that the Los Angeles County registrar gave the organization’s petition the green light to go out to the general public.

The campaign explained in the press release that they need about 590,000 signatures from registered Los Angeles County voters within a 160-day period to trigger a recall election.

If the petition gets enough signatures, the recall election could happen sometime in 2022.

“George Gascón got elected by disguising a radical, dangerous, and pro-criminal agenda as ‘criminal justice reform,’ but that’s not what he is doing,” said Desiree Andrade, organizer and spokesperson for the Recall George Gascón campaign in a press release. “What he failed to mention was that he would cater to the most heinous offenders in our society at the expense of victims and let cold-blooded killers back onto our streets. We have no choice but to seek Gascón’s immediate removal from office because his twisted social experiment is jeopardizing the safety of our communities and revictimizing victims and their families all over again.”

Complete article here.

DA is Haunted by His Past While Victims Suffer

Gascón’s Directives only make sense when seen as an attempt to purge feelings of guilt and his embrace of a growing anti-police narrative. Gascón once said he “is haunted by the role he played in a system that disproportionally locked up African–Americans and Latinos”. He described how his perception of policing and the role of the police changed over the years. He went from believing “we were the guardians of our society” to recognizing ‘the poison of my own work, and how we were destroying communities.” He came to conclude that “the police were oppressors and that the criminal justice system was created to perpetuate this oppression.”

Did he help destroy communities? There is no evidence he arrested suspects without probable cause, created inaccurate police reports, or planted contraband. Gascón’s guilt and his decision to jettison enhancements and strike priors stem not from personal behavior, but rather his prior collaboration as a cop with a criminal justice system he now maintains is at its heart “racist.” His new Directives embrace this anti-law enforcement ideology, one that claims, without evidence, that the racial disparity evidenced by arrest and imprisonment is undeniable proof of “systemic racism” and “mass incarceration.” In neither case are these conclusions based on fact or analysis. Gascón, like his fellow ideologues, cherry picks disparities. They point to disproportionate numbers of Blacks incarcerated, but ignore the fact that Blacks disproportionately commit serious crimes and are disproportionately the victims. Gascón repeats the “mass incarceration” canard without defining what he perceives as the problem. Does he believe inmates in L.A. jails were rounded up without due process like Japanese-Americans placed in internment camps during WWII? Does he not recognize that 90 percent of inmates in the jail are accused or convicted of serious felonies? Does he define “mass-incarceration” as incarceration over a specific number, and that once that number is attained, all arrests and prosecutions of murderers, rapists, and child molesters should cease?

Complete article here.

Fox 11: City of Azusa issues vote of no confidence in LA County DA

AZUZA, Calif. – The City of
Azusa became the ninth local city to issue a vote of no-confidence in Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.

Councilman Andrew Mendez says Gascón’s directives create a revolving door for criminals. “If you’re a victim of a violent crime, the last thing you want to hear is that someone who hurt you is back on the streets,” he said.

…

Szabo is unfazed by the criticism and said: “The DA is the people’s lawyer, that means the victim and also means the community and when we go into court and we say for the people that has to have meaning, that doesn’t mean that we simply represent victims, it means we represent the victims of the entire community. What does that mean? That means that we are not going to seek sentences that we know lead to more recidivism and frankly create more victims of crime.”

Complete story here.

LA Times: Inside DAs justice revolution, a debate over what it is to be a crime victim

In Gascón’s expansive view, victims are not just those targeted by criminals. They are also Black and Latino defendants swept up by a criminal justice system that historically has mistreated communities of color. They are teenagers who have been dealt with as adults in court — even those accused of horrific crimes like the killing of Sierra Brown and her sister. And they are people wrongly killed or injured by police.

Gascón is trying to dismantle the approach his predecessors took to crime, in which they sought to punish defendants heavily on behalf of victims. In its place, he wants something more complicated — a criminal justice system that balances prison time with rehabilitation, consequences with mercy.

Complete article here.

Our Weekly: Lancaster City Council votes ‘no confidence’ in DA

The Lancaster City Council voted to pass Resolution No. 21-21 expressing a vote of no confidence in Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon.

The Council’s action was prompted by Gascon’s issuance of numerous special directives and amendments, some of which contradict state laws enacted to prevent and prosecute crime and protect the general public.

Gascon’s directives include Special Directive 20-06 Pretrial Release Policy, which eliminates cash bail for any misdemeanor, non-serious felony, or non-violent felony offense; Special Directive 20-07 Misdemeanor Case Management, which lists numerous misdemeanor charges that will be declined or dismissed before arraignment; and Special Directive 20-08 Sentencing Enhancements/Allegations, which eliminates several sentence enhancements such as the Three Strikes Law.

Through its vote of no confidence, the City Council expressed that DA Gascon’s directives pose a serious threat to the well-being and safety of Los Angeles County and the residents of Lancaster.

“We cannot have a law-abiding city if we don’t have a District Attorney willing to enforce the law,” said Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “While there is definitely a major need for criminal justice reform, that isn’t something the DA can simply try to dictate through blanket policies. Right now through DA Gascon’s directives, we are essentially allowing the baby to be thrown out with the bathwater, and we can’t let that continue.”

Complete article here.

The Current Report: DA Filing Briefs in Appellate Court Supporting Violent Criminal Defendants – Judge Refuses to Dismiss Allegations and Enhancements – DA Supporting Criminal’s Appeal

LA District Attorney George Gascon abuse of power has hit yet another milestone.

The newly elected pro-criminal District Attorney filed a brief in Appellate Court in support of … wait for it…The DEFENDANT.

That is not a typo.

Gascon, clearly confused as to what his true role is as District Attorney of Los Angeles, who swore to protect the rights of the citizens, particularly those who are victims of violent crimes, filed a response, in support of an appeal filed by the defendant after the judge refused to dismiss firearms enhancements and allegations.

You can’t make this stuff up people!

Complete article here.

Criminal Justice Legal Foundation: Research Debunks Key Gascón Claim

Claim that “science and data” show that shorter sentences for violent and habitual criminals promote public safety has no basis in published research, says legal foundation

Upon taking office last December, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced a policy that “sentence enhancements or other sentencing allegations … shall not be filed in any cases and shall be withdrawn in pending matters.” Sentence enhancements are additions to a convicted criminal’s sentence for such aggravating factors as causing great bodily injury, using a gun, or having previously been convicted of a serious or violent felony.

In Special Directive 20-08, the new DA supported this policy with a claim that “studies show” that longer sentences cause a large increase in the rate at which felons commit new crimes after release, so large that it overcomes the benefit of preventing them from committing new crimes while they are in prison. In a press release on March 17, 2021, Gascón asserted in support of this policy and others, “We are doing all of this because the science and data tell us so.” However, with regard to sentence length and recidivism, the District Attorney’s Office has cited only one unpublished, non-peer-reviewed manuscript in support of the claim.

The Sacramento-based Criminal Justice Legal Foundation (CJLF) undertook a review of published research on this subject to determine if, in fact, “studies show” what Gascón claims. CJLF released the results today in the form of a working paper,Sentence Length and Recidivism: A Review of the Research. The paper is co-authored by CJLF Research Associate Elizabeth Berger and Legal Director Kent Scheidegger.

“There is no strong basis in the published research for the claim that longer sentences increase recidivism relative to shorter ones,” said Berger. “Most studies on the effect of sentence length suggest either no effect on recidivism or slight reductions in recidivism.”

“Cherry-picking a single unpublished paper for what ‘studies show’ when the body of published literature is contrary is a blatant misrepresentation,” said Scheidegger. “The state of our knowledge in this area is still limited, but what we do know tends to refute rather than support Gascón’s claims.”

CJLF’s working paper, Sentence Length and Recidivism: A Review of the Research, is available at https://www.cjlf.org/publications/papers/SentenceRecidivism.pdf

CJLF Legal Director Kent Scheidegger and Research Associate Elizabeth Berger are available for comment at (916) 446-0345.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise: ADDA Files Grievance Against D.A.

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys, a hybrid union and professional association, has filed a grievance with the County of Los Angeles contending that working conditions have been changed under District Attorney George Gascón, impermissibly, in the form of acquiescing in the contention of inmates seeking habeas corpus relief that there was prosecutorial misconduct without conferring with the accused deputies. In a letter sent by email on Friday, John Rees, executive director of the ADDA, told county Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport:

“Through other than official channels, we have learned that the Office has impermissibly and stealthy modified the manner in which it deals with defense claims of prosecutorial misconduct. If what we have learned is correct, it is not merely unlawful—it is reprehensible.

“Accordingly, ADDA demands that management cease and desist and revert to the prior practice. If, in fact, what we have learned is correct, then it is expected that this Association will receive formal prior written notice of such intent together with a proposal. Once again, it appears as though none of the appropriate procedural bases were tagged by management. In the meantime, I expect to receive your timely written notification that management has complied with the law and the legitimate demands of this Association.

“I look forward to your early reply.”

The letter was sent to Davenport via Tim Pescatello, manager of the county’s Employee Relations Division.

Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, a critic of Gascón, told the METNEWS yesterday:

 “The ADDA is absolutely right to pursue this issue as a labor grievance, but, if this is true, those involved could be fairly accused of unprofessional and unethical conduct. Even conspiracy to obstruct justice is not out of the question.

“This is not the first time that Gascón and a few of his sycophant minions have attempted to achieve an improper goal ‘by any means necessary’.”

 The ADDA has been at loggerheads with the new district attorney, who sworn in on Dec. 7, from the start. On his first day of office, Gascón issued a series of “special directives” aimed, in general, at securing leniency in sentencing.

On Feb. 8, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant “granted in large part,” as the judge put it, a preliminary injunctions sought by the ADDA, declaring that some of the directives are “unlawful.”

Article here.

Daily Wire: California May Soften Gun Crime Laws, Citing Impact On People Of Color

A California state assembly committee gave its stamp of approval on April 27 to legislation that would significantly soften sentences for people convicted of some firearm offenses, with proponents saying laws against using guns in the commission of crimes disproportionately affect people of color.

The Assembly Public Safety Committee voted 6-2 to approve the Anti-Racism Sentencing Reform Act, though the proposal still has several hurdles to clear before becoming law.

Assemblyman Alex Lee’s office said he agreed to co-sponsor the bill “to correct decades of harm done to communities of color.” Staffers recently created a “fact sheet” that argues imposing stiffer sentencing laws added on to the charge of an underlying offense drives up incarceration rates, crowds prisons, and serves as “a legal monument to racism.”

…

Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys of Los Angeles County (ADDA), said the proposal “is devoid of reality,” saying such a reduction would equate to “an inconsequential sentence.”

“In essence, the bill decriminalizes the use of a firearm in California for the most severe, most violent felonies,” Siddall told The Daily Wire. “What this bill would do is encourage violent criminals to use guns during their crime because the penalty is so insignificant.”

Complete article here.