When the first effort to recall Soros-backed progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón failed last summer, backers reorganized. The second effort needs to obtain 566,857 signatures by July 6 to put his future on the November ballot. As of May 1, the group has not only obtained more than 400,000 signatures, but it has also raised over $6 million in support as well.
Gascón’s 2020 campaign was well funded by the Left, including George Soros, who contributed $2.5 million, as well as Democrats Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, then-Senator Kamala Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors.
Almost immediately after taking office in December 2020, Gascón began to implement the same far-left liberal policies that got him in trouble as San Francisco’s DA: eliminating cash bail for certain offenses, not seeking the death penalty no matter how violent or outrageous the crime, reopening closed cases against LAPD officers, and “reevaluating” sentences for which the convict had already served time.
And the results were the same. In 2021, there were 52 percent more homicides and 59 percent more shootings than in 2019. LA has seen a 15-percent increase in violent crimes, while arrests decreased by more than 23 percent.
Within weeks of Gascón assuming office, rank-and-file LA prosecutors revolted and attempted to block their new boss in court. DAs elsewhere in California refused to share cases with him. As Association of Deputy District Attorneys Vice President Eric Siddall said, “You can’t just use the law to implement your personal worldview of what society should look like.” Siddall added,
The idea of one man coming in and saying, “You all are wrong, and this is what the law should be,” is … counter to what our entire American system of justice is all about. It’s the antithesis of the rule of law.
When Siddall’s group took a vote on whether to support the recall, 83 percent of them participated in the vote, with 98 percent of them supporting the recall effort.
In addition, the recall effort is supported by several other influential groups, including the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the Los Angeles Police Protective League. In addition, more than 34 California cities, including San Gabriel, Santa Clarita, Beverly Hills, Pico Rivera, Whitter, La Mirada, and Covina have issued votes of no confidence in Gascón.
The Committee to Recall District Attorney George Gascón writes on its website:
As soon as he was sworn into office, District Attorney George Gascón began issuing directives to his prosecutors, instructing them to go soft on crime, coddle criminals, and trample upon the dignity and rights of crime victims.
To keep our communities safe, to mete out just punishment to those who break our laws, and to provide justice to crime victims throughout Los Angeles County, we must recall District Attorney George Gascón.
The petition spells out the grounds for the recall:
Since being elected, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has deserted crime victims and their families.
Gascón has disregarded the rule of law and weakened lawful sentencing requirements for the most violent criminals, including murderers, armed robbers, and rapists.
George Gascón’s new policies treat career and repeat violent offenders as if they had never committed a crime, ignoring public safety laws approved by the people.
Gascón has reduced sentences on crimes against children, and gun crimes.
On behalf of crime victims and their families and in the interest of public safety, this notice of intention to recall George Gascón as Los Angeles District Attorney is submitted.
Even in ultra-liberal Los Angeles County, voters are having serious second thoughts about the DA they elected in November 2020. The recall group is mounting a final push to obtain the remaining required signatures by July 6. Many are persuaded that if this second effort succeeds, voters will likely dump their far-left progressive district attorney into the dustbin of history.
