Supporters of victims’ rights officially kicked off their remembrance campaign against the newly elected Los Angeles County Dist on Saturday. Atty. George Gascón, who promised hefty criminal law reforms to the country’s largest prosecutor’s office.
The recall campaign held a ‘victim watch’ outside the Hall of Justice Center and plans to collect the minimum of 20 signatures needed to submit a notice of intent to formally begin the recall process next month. About 100 people attended the event, organizers said.
On the day he took office, Gascón announced a series of sweeping changes that ended the use of sentencing improvements, which are strictly limited when prosecutors try to hold defendants instead of bail, the use of the death penalty in LA County end and try the use of juveniles as adults.
He promised to make many of the reforms during a controversial election campaign against the current Jackie Lacey – one in which law enforcement and state prosecutors in California spent millions to defeat him.
The seismic policy shifts sparked Gascón’s praise of other progressive prosecutors and reformers of criminal justice nationwide, but contradicted him with his own staff and many of the local law enforcement officers he has to work with to try cases.
Representatives for the George Gascón Campaign Remembrance Campaign include the victims’ legal attorneys, former law enforcement officials, and current and former prosecutors, including the former LA County District Attorney. Atty. Steve Cooley. Former LA councilor Dennis Zine is named as the chairman and former provincial supervisor Michael Antonovich is an honorary chairman.
The group’s website claims that it “promises a softer and softer criminal justice system that will lower the incarceration rates for juvenile offenders and place a greater focus on issues of mental health and addiction”, but that its policy residents of the make land less secure.
‘At the time he was sworn in as district attorney, George Gascón introduced a series of guidelines to prosecutors in his order that had nothing to do with a progressive approach to prosecution and had everything to do with a radical agenda that the ignoring victims, endangering legislation and the lives and livelihoods of all Angelenos, ”according to the recall campaign.
Trenton Lovell is awaiting trial on charges that he is the sheriff of LA County’s ao. Steve Owen performing style in Lancaster in 2016.
Tania Owen said the prosecutor handling her husband’s murder case called her the day Gascón was sworn in and said the office would no longer demand the death penalty, life without parole or any sentencing.
“Honestly, it was a gut punch,” said Tania Owen, who is listed as honorary president for the recall campaign. “As soon as I heard that, I did not say anything at all. This will not happen on my watch. ”
Gascón said in a statement that research shows that excessive sentencing has exacerbated the recurrence of the case, leading to more victims of crime.
“The pain and trauma of losing a loved one is immeasurable and I realize and respect that some victims want me to impose the maximum punishment in their case,” he said. “Our system of justice cannot continue to rely on policies that create more victims tomorrow, simply because some victims want the maximum punishment imposed on their case today.”
‘Nor can I ignore research that shows that these views are not shared by a majority of survivors of violent crime. “Nevertheless, all survivors agree that they need more support, which is why I am focusing on expanding our capacity to provide clinical and trauma-informed care to victims,” Gascón said.
According to the office of the LA County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk, an elected official must be in office for 90 days before a petition can be filed. Gascón took office on December 7, so the recall process can only start in early March.
Once the wording of the revocation petition is approved, proponents will have 160 days to collect the necessary signatures, equivalent to 10% of the province’s more than 5.8 million registered voters or more than 580,000 signatures, according to the office of the province. A private Facebook group for the recall effort has nearly 40,000 members so far.
Even if they are able to collect enough signatures, a recall vote will probably only appear on the ballot in 2022, according to the group’s website.
Earlier this month, a judge slammed Gascón’s plan to end the use of sentencing in thousands of criminal cases, ruling that it violates California law.
The order stemmed from a lawsuit filed last year by the union, which represents hundreds of LA County prosecutors. It is alleged that some of Gascón’s plans exceed his legal authority and place the prosecutors in an ethical context. Improvements in sentencing can increase the accused’s prison sentence by a few years if certain criteria are met, such as using a gun that causes serious injury while committing a crime, or being a documented gang member.
The case focused in particular on Gascón’s policy of banning the use of sentencing improvements for previous convictions, arguing that prosecutors do not have ‘discretion’ under California law to refuse to seek redress. ‘
Gascón said he would appeal the verdict.
Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.