Editorial: L.A. County voters elected George Gascón to change the criminal justice system. Let him do it
3 years, 11 months ago

Editorial: L.A. County voters elected George Gascón to change the criminal justice system. Let him do it

LA Times  

On Nov. 3, Los Angeles County voters elected George Gascón to be their new district attorney, and it wasn’t particularly close. Some of Gascón’s subordinates may be sorry to lose that leverage, but that’s a policy choice that the people properly vest in their elected district attorney, not in each courtroom deputy. The choice made by L.A. County voters is under assault from other quarters as well — law enforcement groups, other district attorneys, some local news outlets and national right-wing commentators. The California District Attorneys Assn., dominated by conservative, reform-defying prosecutors in small, rural counties that outnumber more populous urban counties like L.A., argues that Gascón’s policies promote the interests of perpetrators over victims.

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History of this topic

Column: Gascón, ousted as L.A. County top prosecutor, was his own worst enemy
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Column: Gascón, ousted as L.A. County top prosecutor, was his own worst enemy

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. “I had people calling me two months after Gascón won asking, ‘Why is crime going up?’ He hadn’t even gotten into office yet,” civil rights attorney Connie Rice told me Thursday. “He didn’t come in and say, ‘Anyone who needs to be charged for a violent third strike will be charged, but what I am going …

Letters to the Editor: I voted for George Gascón in 2020. I’m glad to see him defeated in 2024.
2 months ago

Letters to the Editor: I voted for George Gascón in 2020. I’m glad to see him defeated in 2024.

LA Times  

To the editor: In the 2020 election, I voted for George Gascón for district attorney in the hope that he might reform the justice system in Los Angeles County and take a more humane approach to those arrested, especially the many minority youths caught up in it. The outgoing district attorney, defeated by Nathan Hochman, never seemed to grasp the …

California voters turn away from progressive criminal justice policies
2 months ago

California voters turn away from progressive criminal justice policies

China Daily  

By RENA LI in Los Angeles | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2024-11-08 12:14 In a rebuke of progressive criminal justice policies, California voters on Tuesday rejected a lenient approach by some elected officials and also approved an anti-crime ballot question. From Los Angeles to Oakland, election results showed that Californians are prioritizing public safety, in a shift toward more traditional approaches …

Challenger Emerges in Los Angeles District Attorney Race, Reflecting Discontent with Criminal Justice Reform
2 months ago

Challenger Emerges in Los Angeles District Attorney Race, Reflecting Discontent with Criminal Justice Reform

Associated Press  

A tough-on-crime challenger, Nathan Hochman, has emerged in the Los Angeles District Attorney race. Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, criticizes Gascón's policies and argues that they have gone too far. He has raised more than $4 million compared to Gascón's less than $1 million. The election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.

‘Not even close’: Hochman’s lead over Gascón grows to 30% in new D.A.’s race poll
3 months ago

‘Not even close’: Hochman’s lead over Gascón grows to 30% in new D.A.’s race poll

LA Times  

With less than a month remaining before the Nov. 5 election, challenger Nathan Hochman is 30 percentage points ahead of incumbent Los Angeles County Dist. Of those who support Hochman, past president of the L.A. City Ethics Commission and assistant U.S. attorney general, 66% said an “extremely important” factor was the need to “reduce turmoil and bring needed change to …

Endorsement: Reelect Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón
3 months ago

Endorsement: Reelect Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. Four years ago, Los Angeles County voters elected George Gascón to take their district attorney’s office in a bold and constructive new direction. Now voters must decide whether to stick with Gascón’s reform orientation or step backward into a failed mindset in which justice is defined by the toughest charges and the longest sentences. Before he …

Your guide to the L.A. County district attorney’s race: Gascón vs. Hochman
3 months, 1 week ago

Your guide to the L.A. County district attorney’s race: Gascón vs. Hochman

LA Times  

On Nov. 5, voters have a chance to help decide the future of criminal justice in Los Angeles County. The race for district attorney is a clash between the competing visions of the incumbent, polarizing progressive George Gascón, and his challenger, Nathan Hochman, an independent who previously ran for state office as a Republican. Gascón took office four years ago …

George Gascón and Nathan Hochman set to debate in final stretch of L.A. County D.A. race
3 months, 3 weeks ago

George Gascón and Nathan Hochman set to debate in final stretch of L.A. County D.A. race

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. George Gascón, left, and former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, Gascón’s challenger in the November election, have agreed to an Oct. 8 debate. George Gascón and his opponent in the race for his office, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, have agreed to a debate next month to be presented by KNX News and the Los Angeles Times. …

Poll shows Hochman has momentum to unseat L.A. County Dist. Atty. Gascón
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Poll shows Hochman has momentum to unseat L.A. County Dist. Atty. Gascón

LA Times  

In a poll, about 45% of likely voters said they would choose attorney Nathan Hochman, right, over L.A. County Dist. Fifty-seven percent of the 1,136 likely L.A. County voters surveyed said they had “no opinion” on him, versus 34% for Gascón. Just one-tenth of voters surveyed in the new Berkeley IGS poll said Gascón would do a better job addressing …

George Gascón: Justice reformer, recall survivor
6 months, 1 week ago

George Gascón: Justice reformer, recall survivor

LA Times  

On his first day in office, Los Angeles County Dist. George Gascón gave a speech that criminal justice reform advocates hailed as heroic, but many police officers and prosecutors took it as the end of public safety in L.A. Gascón, 70, imploded the entrenched tough-on-crime mentality of his predecessors Jackie Lacey and Steve Cooley, saying he would do away with …

When prosecutor is defendant: L.A. D.A. George Gascón’s legal battles with his own staff
6 months, 3 weeks ago

When prosecutor is defendant: L.A. D.A. George Gascón’s legal battles with his own staff

LA Times  

He was elected to be Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor, but George Gascón has spent a considerable amount of his first term as a defendant. Many of the suits allege prosecutors were punished for refusing to implement policies they considered “illegal,” including Gascón’s edicts stopping prosecutors from seeking the death penalty or life without parole in murder cases, filing certain …

Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón advances to runoff
10 months ago

Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón advances to runoff

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — One of the country’s most progressive prosecutors, George Gascón, has advanced to a runoff in his reelection bid for Los Angeles County’s district attorney, surviving a primary race that pit him against 11 challengers. Gascón will compete in November against the second highest vote-getter from Tuesday’s primary in the race to lead an agency that prosecutes cases …

Editorial: What L.A. County voters need to hear from D.A. George Gascón before November
10 months ago

Editorial: What L.A. County voters need to hear from D.A. George Gascón before November

LA Times  

To put the best face on Dist. To avoid following in Villanueva’s footsteps, Gascón has to do a better job articulating his progress in making his office more reflective of what Los Angeles voters wanted when they first elected him — a more just and equitable criminal justice system. Opinion Editorial: Gascon’s reform vision comes to the Supreme Court Just …

Will Gascón advance? Will Measure HLA pass? A quick look at the top L.A. County races
10 months ago

Will Gascón advance? Will Measure HLA pass? A quick look at the top L.A. County races

LA Times  

A referendum on a more rehabilitative, less punitive approach to criminal justice got its latest test Tuesday in Los Angeles County, as progressive Dist. Tuesday’s election also put nearly half the seats on the City Council and the majority of the five-member county Board of Supervisors before voters, along with the question of who will replace two venerable L.A. school …

Gascón, Hochman jump out to early leads in hotly contested L.A. County D.A. race
10 months ago

Gascón, Hochman jump out to early leads in hotly contested L.A. County D.A. race

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. George Gascón and former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman jumped out to early leads in a crowded field of candidates vying to be the county’s top prosecutor. Although polls show Gascón has grown deeply unpopular with a significant portion of L.A. County residents, polls and local political observers long suggested that his strong progressive base would carry …

Your guide to the L.A. County district attorney race: 11 candidates aim to unseat Gascón
11 months, 1 week ago

Your guide to the L.A. County district attorney race: 11 candidates aim to unseat Gascón

LA Times  

Virtually every challenger has said they will reverse the sweeping policy changes Gascón enacted on his first day in office, but the planned implementation varies on such a walk back. Hochman, Hatami, Milton and McKinney have said they would either erase all of the district attorney’s policies or begin their terms as the “exact opposite of George Gascón.” Hochman has …

Endorsement: Reelect George Gascón as Los Angeles County district attorney
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Endorsement: Reelect George Gascón as Los Angeles County district attorney

LA Times  

George Gascón was elected Los Angeles County district attorney in 2020, a convulsive year in which Americans’ lives were upended by the pandemic and public confidence in the criminal justice system was shaken by the murder of George Floyd. He is the only Los Angeles County district attorney in the last century, and perhaps ever, to step into the job …

An L.A. County D.A.’s union leader, veteran judge latest to challenge Gascón’s reelection
1 year, 4 months ago

An L.A. County D.A.’s union leader, veteran judge latest to challenge Gascón’s reelection

LA Times  

Two more challengers joined the crowded field looking to unseat Los Angeles County Dist. “We’re not these old-school prosecutors who are hellbent on getting the maximum sentence on every single person.” Shortly after Siddall’s email announcement, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell declared his candidacy outside the downtown Hall of Justice, while flanked by people he’s aided through a …

Has L.A. County D.A. George Gascón delivered on his police accountability promises?
1 year, 9 months ago

Has L.A. County D.A. George Gascón delivered on his police accountability promises?

LA Times  

Yatoya Toy stood outside the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in February, pointing at images from a cellphone video showing her brother Anthony Lowe being fatally shot by Huntington Park police as he fled on the stumps of his amputated legs. The office also saw a perjury case against two L.A. County sheriff’s deputies dismissed at a preliminary hearing …

L.A. County D.A. Gascón’s own prosecutors begin lining up to challenge him in 2024
1 year, 9 months ago

L.A. County D.A. Gascón’s own prosecutors begin lining up to challenge him in 2024

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Standing in front of a packed room in Whittier, longtime line prosecutor Jonathan Hatami promised to “restore civility” to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office and stand up for the crime victims he insists George Gascón has forgotten. Maria Ramirez — who along with Hatami is one of at least 16 L.A. County prosecutors …

Gascón loses retaliation case, a grim omen for the L.A. County D.A.
1 year, 10 months ago

Gascón loses retaliation case, a grim omen for the L.A. County D.A.

LA Times  

An L.A. County prosecutor on Monday was awarded $1.5 million in a retaliation lawsuit against Dist. Shawn Randolph, the former head of the juvenile division of the district attorney’s office, claimed she was shuttled off to the parole division for pushing back against some of Gascón’s shifts to the handling of criminal cases involving minors, including his blanket ban on …

Editorial: Now that a second recall effort has failed, let George Gascón do the work he was elected to do
2 years, 4 months ago

Editorial: Now that a second recall effort has failed, let George Gascón do the work he was elected to do

LA Times  

Now that a second attempt to recall Los Angeles County Dist. An effort last year to gather the needed 566,857 valid voter signatures to put a recall on the ballot barely got off the ground for lack of money, but the second attempt was well funded and culminated in petitions being sent to virtually every registered voter in Los Angeles …

After San Francisco, will L.A. County D.A. Gascón be recalled next? Inside the final push
2 years, 6 months ago

After San Francisco, will L.A. County D.A. Gascón be recalled next? Inside the final push

LA Times  

Los Angeles County’s progressive district attorney, George Gascón, has been the subject of intense criticism since he was elected in 2020. But in the last six months, a string of controversies, an open revolt among Gascón’s own prosecutors and rising concerns about crime and homelessness in Los Angeles have left Gascón vulnerable and helped a second recall campaign collect more …

L.A. County D.A.’s office under Gascón is at war with itself
2 years, 8 months ago

L.A. County D.A.’s office under Gascón is at war with itself

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. In normal times, the convicted sex offender’s request for leniency would have been met with a swift, emphatic “no” from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. That stance earned the prosecutor’s supervisor a reprimand from one of Gascón’s top aides, who told her the attorney had misrepresented one of the many dramatic changes the district …

Gascón promised to review controversial police killings. After 6 months, is he too late for some?
3 years, 7 months ago

Gascón promised to review controversial police killings. After 6 months, is he too late for some?

LA Times  

George Gascón announces his candidacy in 2019 across the street from the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles. But nearly six months into Gascón’s tenure as Los Angeles County district attorney, Middleton has yet to sign his employment contract, and the delay could severely hinder Gascón’s ability to bring charges against officers in any of the cases he …

Los Angeles DA faces resistance for criminal justice reforms
3 years, 9 months ago

Los Angeles DA faces resistance for criminal justice reforms

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — 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. But that’s where we are because he is being really steadfast in his commitment to those reforms that we …

Change or cronyism? D.A. George Gascón’s executive team met with mix of praise and suspicion
3 years, 10 months ago

Change or cronyism? D.A. George Gascón’s executive team met with mix of praise and suspicion

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. The decision to place public defenders in leadership roles is emblematic of Gascón’s promise to radically change the culture of the L.A. County district attorney’s office. The announcement last month that former Public Defender Tiffiny Blacknell would join Gascón’s staff immediately roiled prosecutors and police. “Having a member of your political going and enforcing your will …

D.A. Gascón seeks information on officers with histories of misconduct in latest reform move
3 years, 10 months ago

D.A. Gascón seeks information on officers with histories of misconduct in latest reform move

LA Times  

George Gascón has requested that law enforcement agencies across Los Angeles County provide his office with the names of deputies and officers who have histories of misconduct that might affect their credibility in court. The letter cites an August 2019 decision in which the California Supreme Court ruled that the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, as well as other law enforcement …

Several of D.A. George Gascón’s reforms blocked by L.A. County judge
3 years, 11 months ago

Several of D.A. George Gascón’s reforms blocked by L.A. County judge

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. The lawsuit took particular issue with Gascón’s policy of barring the use of sentencing enhancements for prior felony convictions, arguing that under California’s “three strikes” law, prosecutors do not have discretion “to refuse to seek the enhancement.” In his ruling, Judge James Chalfant noted that the “three strikes” law requires prosecutors to “plead and prove” all …

Op-Ed: Stop the attempt to derail D.A. George Gascón’s criminal justice reforms
3 years, 11 months ago

Op-Ed: Stop the attempt to derail D.A. George Gascón’s criminal justice reforms

LA Times  

Deputy district attorneys in Los Angeles County are trying hard to undermine the efforts of George Gascón, who was elected Los Angeles County district attorney on a vision of reforming the criminal justice system. California Union representing deputy district attorneys sues Gascón over enhancements policy The union for L.A. County deputy district attorneys has sued Dist. Gascón, as the elected …

George Gascón’s plans to overhaul prosecutions meet early resistance from judges, others
4 years ago

George Gascón’s plans to overhaul prosecutions meet early resistance from judges, others

LA Times  

Major policy changes by Los Angeles County Dist. Gascón has long argued that penalties for underlying crimes are significant on their own and that sentencing enhancements lead to excessive prison terms that disproportionately affect Black and Latino defendants, while not deterring crime. After a deputy district attorney sought to dismiss an enhancement against a defendant with a prior felony conviction …

New Los Angeles prosecutor ends cash bail for many offenses
4 years, 1 month ago

New Los Angeles prosecutor ends cash bail for many offenses

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — New Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, seeking to revamp the nation’s largest prosecutor’s office with progressive policies, said Monday after taking office that cash bail will be ended for many offenses and sentences in thousands of cases will be reevaluated. Gascón, in remarks after taking his oath of office, took aim at his predecessors in …

As George Gascón takes office, campaign promises will be put to the test
4 years, 1 month ago

As George Gascón takes office, campaign promises will be put to the test

LA Times  

Changes are coming to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. “Those that have been directly impacted by the work of this office have unique insights that are integral to an effective administration.” The combination of Gascón breaking bread with Black Lives Matter and building a transition team that includes just one prosecutor unnerved several deputy district attorneys, who spoke …

Editorial: George Gascón can’t fire prosecutors for opposing his vision. Can he win them over?
4 years, 1 month ago

Editorial: George Gascón can’t fire prosecutors for opposing his vision. Can he win them over?

LA Times  

Three days after taking office in 2018, newly elected Philadelphia Dist. Don’t look for anything like that next week when George Gascón is sworn is as Los Angeles County district attorney. Unlike in Philadelphia, where Krasner had the power to swiftly remake his office, or in San Francisco, where Gascón previously served as D.A., or in fact most prosecutorial offices …

George Gascón will be L.A. County’s next district attorney, promises swift changes
4 years, 2 months ago

George Gascón will be L.A. County’s next district attorney, promises swift changes

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Dist. Fresh on the heels of claiming victory Friday in the nationally watched battle to lead the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, reform challenger George Gascón promised swift changes in criminal justice policies, vowing to stop trying juveniles as adults and prevent prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. George Gascón is introduced by Mark Gonzalez, chair …

George Gascón holds lead in L.A. County district attorney race
4 years, 2 months ago

George Gascón holds lead in L.A. County district attorney race

LA Times  

George Gascón, left, candidate for Los Angeles County district attorney, is introduced by Mark Gonzalez, chair of the L.A. County Democratic Party, during a drive-in election night watch party in the Los Angeles Zoo parking lot. “Obviously if I get elected, we’ll roll up our sleeves, and I really hope that L.A. County’s criminal justice system will be the shining …

Race for Los Angeles district attorney increasingly bitter
4 years, 2 months ago

Race for Los Angeles district attorney increasingly bitter

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — After a scrappy debate that Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey believed lifted her campaign and was a “disaster” for her opponent, she got a text message from the LA mayor with unwelcome news: He was switching his endorsement to her challenger. “You might find young African-American women who are very active in the justice movement …

Race for Los Angeles district attorney increasingly bitter
4 years, 2 months ago

Race for Los Angeles district attorney increasingly bitter

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Their target is Lacey, the two-term incumbent, and their …

Endorsement: George Gascón for L.A. County district attorney
4 years, 3 months ago

Endorsement: George Gascón for L.A. County district attorney

LA Times  

The rethinking and reconstruction of the American criminal justice system has come in waves. The next wave of reinvention may come from Los Angeles County, if voters here elect George Gascón as their district attorney. As San Francisco’s district attorney, he extended that reexamination to the entire criminal justice system. Meanwhile, Lacey made history by becoming the first woman and …

Full coverage: Jackie Lacey and George Gascón face off in L.A. County district attorney race
4 years, 3 months ago

Full coverage: Jackie Lacey and George Gascón face off in L.A. County district attorney race

LA Times  

With debates about criminal justice reform and police accountability buzzing across the country, the race for Los Angeles County’s next top prosecutor may be one of the most important on the ballot in Southern California this November. Jackie Lacey, the county’s first Black district attorney and a career prosecutor backed by local law enforcement, is seeking a third term in …

In Los Angeles County D.A.’s race, it’s reform vs. tradition. Where does each candidate stand?
4 years, 10 months ago

In Los Angeles County D.A.’s race, it’s reform vs. tradition. Where does each candidate stand?

LA Times  

When voters head to the polls on March 3, they will make one choice that could change the course of criminal justice policy in Los Angeles County. George Gascón and former Los Angeles County public defender Rachel Rossi. Gascón this week announced a plan to seek to resentence defendants sentenced to death by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, …

Endorsement: L.A. County needs a criminal justice innovator. George Gascón could be that leader
4 years, 10 months ago

Endorsement: L.A. County needs a criminal justice innovator. George Gascón could be that leader

LA Times  

Jackie Lacey and one of her challengers, former San Francisco Dist. In 2012, Jackie Lacey defeated a traditional tough-on-crime prosecutor to become Los Angeles County district attorney. George Gascón, a former Los Angeles police officer and assistant chief who later became police chief in Mesa, Ariz., and San Francisco, and then San Francisco district attorney, is one of those more …

The Race To End Mass Incarceration In America’s Second Largest City
4 years, 10 months ago

The Race To End Mass Incarceration In America’s Second Largest City

Huff Post  

California has been at the forefront of criminal justice reform, slowly undoing policies that contribute to mass incarceration and disproportionately punish the poor and people of color. “He hasn’t prosecuted police the way we would like a prosecutor to do,” said Abdullah, the Black Lives Matter LA co-founder, “but part of what he was saying in that moment is that …

L.A. County Democrats endorse Gascón in competitive district attorney’s race
5 years, 1 month ago

L.A. County Democrats endorse Gascón in competitive district attorney’s race

LA Times  

Los Angeles County Democrats endorsed former San Francisco Dist. George Gascón over incumbent Jackie Lacey on Tuesday night, intensifying what’s expected to be a hard-fought race to determine who will serve as the county’s top prosecutor beyond 2020. Gascón, a former Los Angeles police officer who is seen as one of the most progressive prosecutors in the nation, won 79% …

Editorial: America’s next most important election? The L.A. district attorney race
5 years, 2 months ago

Editorial: America’s next most important election? The L.A. district attorney race

LA Times  

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is the nation’s largest local prosecutorial agency by far. So, most likely, is George Gascon, a former Los Angeles police officer and San Francisco police chief, who recently resigned his post as San Francisco district attorney and moved to Los Angeles. But we need to hear him explain how his San Francisco experience …

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