Los Angeles ADAs Endorse Incumbent Jackie Lacey over San Francisco DA Gascón

The Association of Deputy District Attorney’s announced their endorsement of Jackie Lacey for Los Angeles County District Attorney. Lacey is being challenged by San Francisco DA George Gascón, who recently announced he was leaving San Francisco to run for District Attorney in Los Angeles.

Lacey has been Los Angeles District Attorney since 2012 and is a native of Southern California..

“As a union, we considered several important factors in making our endorsement. Jackie Lacey has a proven 8-year track record on all fronts,” the ADA’s announcement said.

The ADAs were not as gracious with Mr. Gascon. While they said they appreciated Mr. Gascón’s ideas on targeting habitual offenders and protecting prosecutors from frivolous complaints, “However, his emphasis on aiding criminals over crime victims is not a position that we, who work with crime victims daily, can support. Concepts like ‘restorative justice’ are great political buzzwords. But when the actual result is to overlook the harm criminals do to victims, it is a social experiment that we cannot endorse. We are especially confused as to how Mr. Gascón will implement ‘restorative justice’ principles on violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, rape, robbery, carjacking, or mayhem.””Throughout his tenure as San Francisco Chief of Police and San Francisco District Attorney, Mr. Gascón has engaged in a series of social experiments on the residents of San Francisco. Unfortunately, it is the residents who are paying for these experiments. According to FBI data, in 2017, San Francisco had a higher murder rate, a higher violent crime rate and a higher property crime rate.”The ADAs said San Francisco’s murder rate was higher than Los Angeles County, 6.4 per 100,000 compared to 5.7. San Francisco’s violent crime rate was higher, 715 per 100,00 compared to Los Angeles’s 577 per 100,000. San Francisco’s property crime rate was higher, 6,168 per 100,000 compared to Los Angeles at 2,443 per 100,000.

“By all metrics, Jackie Lacey’s Los Angeles is safer than Gascón’s San Francisco. Perhaps that is why Mr. Gascón moved to Los Angeles,” the ADAs said.

Gascón was one of the leading voices and proponents in support of Proposition 47, unbelievably titled by then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris, The Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act. Prop. 47 reduced a host of felonies to misdemeanors, including drug crimes, date rape, and all thefts under $950, even for repeat offenders who steal every day. It did not create safe neighborhoods, and led to a statewide spike in property crimes and theft from retailers.

Richard Ceballos is also running for Los Angeles District Attorney. The ADAs said, “Mr. Ceballos has many good ideas. He stands for many of the same positions ADDA stands for. He is a loyal union member. But Ms. Lacey has a proven track record while Mr. Ceballos remains an uncertainty.”