Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. (Photo: da.lacounty.gov)
George Gascon Recall Petition Closes In On Signature Gathering Phase
Los Angeles District Attorney may face a recall petition drive similar to Gov. Newsom, SF DA Boudin
By Evan Symon, March 11, 2021 5:53 pm
Los Angeles County residents in favor of ousting District Attorney George Gascon may begin officially collecting signatures soon following weeks of new efforts against the embattled DA.
Since being sworn in in December following a decisive win over former LA DA Jackie Lacey in November 2020, Gascon has supported many controversial new changes in the county. His insistence that all crime enhancements during trials be removed, such as adding weapons charges to robberies that would add many more years of prison, as well as initiatives to try and end cash bail and ordering prosecutors to not attend parole hearings have also drawn considerable ire from many in the county, including many lawmakers and the California District Attorney’s Association (CDAA).
However, his largest change, referred to as the Gascon Directive, has drawn the most heated criticism. Under the directive, many criminals, even those with murder convictions, can receive possible resentencing after serving 15 years in prison. While there were also exceptions for those with COVID-19 in the directive, prisoner resentencing and release was mainly focused around those serving 15 years or more, those who are 60 or older in age, and those who were 17 or younger at the time of their offense who were then tried a a adult.
Gascon has also flipped on many positions, such as only limiting death sentences to life without parole to guaranteeing a parole hearing for all prisoners with murder charges within 20-30 years.
In response to victims and victims families who want tougher sentences and more stringent punishments, Gascon has retorted that they don’t represent the majority of families and that most don’t want extremely tough sentences.
“The pain and trauma of losing a loved one is immeasurable,” said Gascon in a recent statement to Fox News. “While a minority of victims want the maximum punishment imposed in their case, research shows these views are not shared by a majority of survivors of violent crime, as most survivors don’t find healing by putting another person in a cage.
“Additionally, studies show that excessive sentencing practices have exacerbated recidivism leading to more victims of crime.”
A growing movement against Gascon
This led many against Gascon to form Victims of Violent Crime for the Recall of District Attorney Gascon and formally launch a recall movement against the DA. Chaired by former Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine with a body of support including many lawmakers, District Attorneys, crime victims, and families of victims, Recall George Gascon has quickly made strides to reach the ballot by the end of this year.
The recall movement moved fast following the first 90 days of Gascon being in office, as by law Californian lawmakers cannot have a recall petition out against them for the first three months. Gascon received notice from the group earlier this month informing him that they would mount a signature campaign soon, ending one of the final steps before county approval to begin gathering.
A video released earlier this week by convicts with murder sentences in jail thanking Gascon for possibly getting them out of jail after only serving 15 years of a 40 year sentence has given the group an extra boost of support heading into the second-half of March.
“I know a lot of affected people who, if they hadn’t lost a loved one, wouldn’t even think about signing something like this,” said Bernice Okoye, who was shot nearly 20 years ago as a bystander during a gang-related shooting in Los Angeles. “The guy who did this to me could be out soon, as well as so many others. 60% of the state supports higher punishments, including the death penalty. Gascon has said that he has the numbers behind him, but he really doesn’t. People like me, we’re only more inclined for justice. It’s hard to find someone who lost a loved one by someone else’s hand who doesn’t want them in jail for the rest of their life.
“You never know what we really feel until it’s happened to you. Gascon doesn’t speak for us, but here he is saying it and trying to make rules and everything to make it how he wants it, not how the people want it. He’s got to go.”
Once approved, the recall petition will have 160 days to accumulate signatures from 10% of the registered voters of LA County, or around 580,000 people, to qualify for a recall election.
The Gascon recall effort would also join several other prominent recall efforts across the state in 2021. These include the Gavin Newsom recall campaign, which is all but certain to trigger a recall election as of Thursday, and the campaign to recall San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin, which was recently greenlit to begin signature collections earlier this week.
- Former Marine Jeff Gonzalez Flips Long Held Democratic 36th District Assembly Seat - November 18, 2024
- Recall Effort Against SF Supervisor Joel Engardio Grows Following Measure K Passage - November 18, 2024
- Gov. Newsom Buys $9 Million House in Marin County - November 16, 2024
Three for three….
Maybe we should just recall EVERY Democrap in CA legislature???
#RescueCalifornia
After we recall this idiot….he should have his head examined. What in the world is this guy thinking? He shouldn’t even have a law license. They should check That George Soros too.
Evan Symon helpfully linked to the RecallGascon site in his article but thought I would post it again here in the comments for emphasis.
This is the official website. Wherever you live in L.A. County, please be sure to sign up to receive updates on the petition’s availability and when signature-gathering can begin:
http://www.recallgeorgegascon.com/
We the people need to set aside all differences and get rid of poor leaders like this.
We need people with leadership!!!
Who would stand for what’s right and not neglect
The law is the law ….
While Gascon is pushing to support criminals , one of these days or one of these nights , his wife , his daughter and his mother will be raped and murdered by the same criminal he is fighting so hard for , let’s see if that would change his criminal supportive mind , he must be stopped , or this is not America .
The Corruption is within the system. I was bullied and assaulted by my uncle a real estate attorney who knew Judge David J Cowan. Multiple letters written to Jackie Lacey who did nothing about the corruption within Los Angeles Superior Court. My father left 5 million to my brother and I. Unfortunately my brother has a mental illness called schizophrenia . So my uncle uses a financial adviser who lied under oath and without a document or tape, I was meant to be disinherited so that his 3 daughters and my brothers controlling wife got everything. Imagine that. Judges are bought off and laws are not kept, and now my uncle has tons of beach front property. As an ARNP I am a public servant. Los Angeles is truly lost ! My father died, even though not my fathers attorney, the bastard lied. And now on public record there are more lies. I am asking fir justice.
One don’t need to get struck by the tragedy to have common sense. Can’t wait to sign petition Gascon needs to go!
I Agree George Gascon Has Got To Go He Has No Business Being D.A . If He Can’t Do His Job Period.
He belongs in jail with the rest of the garbage.
Not every person accused of a crime is guilty the cops are just as corrupt and many use their authority to impose their raciest intentions upon people of color…lying, using enhancements where not warranted…I know of someone right now who has a gang enhancement on them and they are not and never have been a gang member, how fair is that. Yes, I feel people should be punished for crimes but the system sucks and needs to be corrected…some sentences with enhancements is just modern day lynching…can’t hang by rope and get away with it but can lock you up or put a stain on your reputation where you will never belong to society again without an uphill battle! I would Never sign a petition against someone who wants to make things right and yes, I don’t care what you think or say…for now, I have my rights to speak my mind…Keep up the good work DAGascon, I’m in your corner!
So the answer to the corruption is more corruption and letting ALL criminals out? I am for reform, however, the wrongly accused and falsely imprisoned are the exception not the rule. The animals who kill and rape or the pedophiles should get lobotomies. Perhaps a commission to examine the cases you speak of. I am one that thinks that if it walks and sounds like a duck….it’s probably a duck. Or, if they didn’t do the crime, they are probably protecting the one that did commit the crime and had something to do with it.
Gascon is a corrupt and carpet bagger ideologue living in an expensive secluded community near Naples in Long Beach off the fancy canals. Gang violence will never affect him or those close to this Soros puppet. . My mother was brutally murdered in her bed in the early morning hours by a killer that Gascon is now supporting for early release. I am personally dealing with Gascon’s policies that put felons and murderers ahead of victims and survivors. For the first time in the history of the LA County DA’s office, Deputy DA’s and prosecutors are no longer allowed to attend parole hearings, or even submit a written statement on behalf of the victims and the people they represent in the prosecution. My mother’s murderer just had a parole hearing and while the inmate had an attorney present, no Deputy Prosecutor was there to represent me or the state in the case defending my mother. And the parole hearing was moved up by five years so not even the minimum sentence is being observed. Feeling alone and abandoned and praying for my mother during the entire ordeal of the “hearing,” I decided to join the recently formed recall movement against George Gascon who Soros effectively installed with a massive donation to defeat incumbent Jackie Lacey narrowly last November. Thanks for alerting the community to this travesty in the LA County DA’s office and in other counties were Soros has effectively bought these offices for his anti-victim, pro-felon philosophy. He has truly isolated the survivors of these violent and pre-mediated crimes. I know first hand. This poseur must go. Jackie Lacey at least knew how to stand up for victims.