Failure to Oust Los Angeles DA Seen as Win for Criminal Justice Reform
A second campaign to recall progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón did not get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, a result seen as a victory for criminal justice reform advocates and a major blow to police unions and conservative groups.
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A campaign to recall the progressive Los Angeles District Attorney, George Gascón, did not get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and will not move forward, a result seen as a victory for criminal justice reform advocates and a major blow to police unions and conservative groups, reports The Guardian.
It was the second attempt to recall Gascón, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer who served earlier as DA in San Francisco.
The recall campaign said in a statement that the results were “surprising and disappointing” and that it intends to “review the rejected signatures and verification process that took place and will ultimately seek to ensure no voter was disenfranchised”.
Gascón has faced backlash from police groups, the LA county sheriff and conservative media, as well as from some Angelenos concerned with an uptick in gun violence and killings during the pandemic.
Critics, including several law enforcement unions, have alleged that Gascón’s efforts to reduce harsh sentencing were enabling violence. There is no evidence his reform policies are causing a surge in violence, and his supporters and researchers have noted that California jurisdictions with traditional “tough on crime” punishments are seeing similar or worse upticks in crime.
In a statement on Twitter, Gascón said he was “grateful” for the win, and vowed “to move forward from this attempted political power grab — rest assured L.A. County, the work hasn’t stopped. My primary focus has been & will always be keeping us safe & creating a more equitable justice system for all,” reported the Los Angeles Times.
