LA Mayoral Candidate Joe Buscaino Endorses Recall of DA George Gascon

The 2022 Los Angeles Mayoral race had another new twist added to it on Monday when City Councilman and candidate Joe Buscaino announced his endorsement for the support of recalling District Attorney George Gascon, creating a new hot button issue for candidates overnight.

The second George Gascon recall drive was approved by the LA County Registrar last Thursday and began building up signature petitions this weekend to collect around 800,000 signatures, a safety figure of the needed 566,857, in LA County by the July 6th deadline. Should enough be collected, the recall would be placed on the ballot later in the year, likely falling on the November general election date as a cost saving measure on ballots and poll place openings.

While the first signature drive failed to generate much political heat in the county, even with the California Gubernatorial recall vote taking place in the final weeks of the signature campaign, the 2022 campaign has been seen by many political insiders as different. Due to higher crime rates and more of a media focus on the negatives of criminal justice reforms started by Gascon, more people have been in favor of recalling Gascon this year.

With the increased likelihood that the petition will at least get enough signatures to make the ballot, the petition became even more politically charged on Monday following Councilman Buscaino’s support.

In a video announcement, Buscaino noted that while he doesn’t believe in recalls, he believes that Gascon has not been issuing criminal justice reform and instead has made Los Angeles more dangerous due to his policies.

“I normally don’t believe in recalls but what I’ve seen shocks the conscious so much that I can no longer remain silent,” Buscaino said in his video on Monday. “We cannot afford another two years to get George Gascon out of office. His policies have emboldened criminals, shunned victims’ rights and have made our communities more dangerous for everyone.

“I believe in criminal justice reform. I believe in providing additional services and rehabilitation. But what George Gascón is doing is not that.”

Today, I am endorsing the recall of District Attorney George Gascón. pic.twitter.com/ZLwDQEZCwy

— Joe Buscaino (@JoeBuscaino) January 31, 2022

Buscaino’s video received nearly 100,000 views in only a matter of hours, quickly putting the issue in front of the rest of the major candidates. As of Tuesday, Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), Councilman Kevin de Leon, and City Attorney Mike Feuer have not given a formal endorsement of either Gascon or the Recall effort.

Bass is a major proponent of both criminal justice and police reform but has largely avoided the question of if she believes in Gascon’s version of the reforms. However she did side with Gascon on the Prop 47 and Prop 57 prison realignment bills in the 2010’s. De Leon may prove to be a bit more sympathetic to Gascon’s plight due to also facing recall petitions recently, as well as supporting both Prop 47 and 57 as well, but like Bass, has not publicly commented just yet.

Feuer has shown to be more of a wild card in whether he backs Gascon or the recall. While both Feuer and Gascon both support criminal justice reforms, Feuer, whose position as LA City Attorney has directly seen the changes instituted by Gascon, has been publicly vocal over the ways Gascon has been implementing reforms. However, at the same time, they have both been on the same side over LAPD disciplinary matters and other issues, meaning that Feuer’s decision will be the most complex of the candidates.

“Candidates need to say where they are on the recall soon,” Tabitha Shaw, a Los Angeles-based phone poll center supervisor who keeps track of LA city and County issues, told the Globe on Tuesday. “The primary is on June 7th and the petition end is on July 6th. By June, we could see whether or not the petition drive is projected to get enough signatures. If it does, then candidates will have needed to take a petition, and it can’t be one of neutrality at that point. It would be a real ballot issue on a major city issue coming down on the day of the election.”

“Bass, Feuer, and de Leon would be smart to make their position known now, as even if Gascon avoids a recall the issue of his policies would still be there. Plus, a candidate with an unknown stance doesn’t win them a lot of support. Even when it’s opposite of what people believe, they at least know where they stand.”

“This was going to be a big issue no matter what, and Buscaino was the one who forced it.”

The other three LA Mayoral candidates are likely to weigh in on the possible Gascon recall in the near future.