San Fernando Valley, CA – On Thursday, May 20th the Registrar Recorder approved the petition that will be used for public circulation in an effort to gather signatures to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascòn. DA Gascòn was eagerly elected by LA County residents that want to see change from the District Attorney’s office. DA Gascòn’s election was a clear message that voters no longer want tough-on-crime policies; the future calls for reform. DA Gascòn kept all of his campaign promises. On day one, DA Gascòn announced policy reforms that we Angelenos have been desperately seeking. Unfortunately, a group of misguided and misinformed residents are seeking a recall election to waste taxpayer dollars and ignore the will of the voters. The Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley will not stand for this; we will once again roll up our sleeves and support our duly elected District Attorney as he battles this Republican-led effort.
– Sean Rivas: Chair
Resolution
Oppose the Recall of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón
WHEREAS Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón campaigned on a promise to implement sweeping reforms intended to move the District Attorney’s office away from excessive sentencing practices and other draconian policies that do not enhance public safety, which is beginning to correct long-standing racial and class-based inequities in the County’s justice system, while decreasing the County’s incarceration rates that have caused severe overcrowding of the jails, human rights abuses, and multiple lawsuits, and since his election, DA Gascón has taken immediate steps to follow through on the platform for which he was elected by a clear majority of voters, as we should expect of all elected officials;
WHEREAS Gascón’s follow-through on the mandate he was given by voters to effect positive change is now being attacked by a Republican-led effort to recall him from office by using scare tactics to mislead voters, by manipulating data ignoring the voice of many victim’s groups and by using exaggerations and lies misrepresenting the facts of Gascón’s policy reforms;
WHEREAS leaders of the recall effort – which subverts democracy by seeking to remove a duly elected District Attorney – claim they are seeking this recall “on behalf of crime victims”, however a recent survey from Californians for Safety and Justice reveals that a huge majority of victims of violent crime in Los Angeles County feels a harshly punitive criminal justice system failed them in their time of need and that justice system resources should be invested in rehabilitation and crime prevention, not incarceration.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the Los Angeles County Democratic Party opposes the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
Authored by: Elise Moore