John McKinney: Candidate for Los Angeles DA

John McKinney knows temptation.

Before becoming a lawyer, before rising through the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to a position as deputy district attorney in Major Crimes (he successfully prosecuted the murderer of rapper Nipsey Hussle,) he was just another kid in Passaic, NJ trying to figure out which way to turn.

Thanks to his upbringing – his older sister raised him after his parents’ death – he chose work and school and not crack and bling.

That’s why he is running for district attorney – that and the fact that George Gascon is a menace to the community.

“Gascon has a fundamental misunderstanding of the criminal justice system,” McKinney said.  “The state of public safety is of deep concern and we need a dramatic change in policy and direction.”

An example of Gascon’s ideologically-driven cluelessness were the “day one” policy directives –unethical in many cases, hence their being rolled back as a result of lawsuits.  Not only were they improper, Gascon imposed them without consulting anyone in the DA’s office and, more troublingly, McKinney said “the public defender’s office had copies of them before we did.”

“Gascon has asked us to minimize criminal conduct and it continues to this day,”  McKinney said.  “And he has stopped informing crime victims of upcoming parole dates (of the offender.)  He wants as many people out of jail as possible.”

While the “zero bail” issue is in part out of the DA’s office purview, McKinney said he supports the lawsuit filed by a dozen county cities against the new bail schedule.

“I hope the cities are successful,” said McKinney, adding that he would change the current Gascon policy of essentially never arguing for the imposition of bail.

McKinney said the DA’s office does have a defined “lane” to stay in, but that he would increase outreach, cooperation across law enforcement agencies (something not at all happening under Gascon,) and move more into the community with education and crime intervention programs.

“Fourth and fifth graders need to get to know officers and attorneys and everyone in law enforcement in a different light, as professionals,” McKinney said. 

Kids that age are old enough to “get it,” but hopefully not old enough to have “done it.”

“From my life experience, I know what motivates young people to go all in or go around a life of crime,” McKinney said.

As for the large field of people vying to replace Gascon, McKinney said he is confident he can stand out from the crowd.  While Gascon is clearly a weak incumbent, McKinney said “we have to assume” he will run and will make it out of the spring primary and then face a single opponent next November.

While odds are that most of the people currently in the race would handily beat Gascon in a one-on-one contest, McKinney said that some may not and that needs to be taken into consideration when voting in the primary.

“We know where Gascon is going to attack – Trump, mass incarceration, etc.,” McKinney said.  “The attacks will be false but they will be stickier for some more than others.”

For more information, you can visit McKinney’s website at:  https://mckinney4la.com/ .