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Group Has Enough Signatures for Gascón Recall Election
However, Recognizing That Some Signatures Will Be Rejected, It Continues Petition Drive
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Committee to Recall District Attorney George Gascón announced yesterday it has gathered more than the 566,857 signatures needed to place a recall on the November ballot, but is continuing to collect signatures in light of the inevitability that there are invalid ones on the petitions.
The deadline for delivering petitions to the Office of Registrar-Recorder is July 6.
The anti-Gascón movement has been buoyed by the recall in San Francisco of Chesa Boudin, a district attorney with policies paralleling those of Gascón.
This statement was issued by the committee:
“We are officially within striking distance of initiating a recall against George Gascon, but the urgency for signature collection in these final days will be greater than ever. Simply clearing the required threshold is not enough—we must build the necessary cushion for signatures that are inevitably invalidated.
“We are urging every registered voter in Los Angeles County to mail in their petition by no later than June 24 to ensure they arrive on time, or alternatively, drop them off at one of our permanent signing locations by June 30. The only thing that can stop us at this point is complacency.”
Locations are listed at https://www.recalldageorgegascon.com/permanent-signing-locations.
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Above is a photograph issued by the Recall Gascón Committee which yesterday announced it has gathered more than the required number of signatures to place a recall election on the ballot. |
‘Cushion’ Sought
The committee said that as a “cushion,” it is aiming for 650,000 to 700,000 signatures. It noted that the required 566,857 signatures represents 10 percent of the county’s registered voters.
Gascón has been under fire for what critics see as pro-defendant policies, several of which were incorporated in special directives issued on Dec. 7, 2020, the day the new district attorney took office. Enforcement of some of them weas preliminarily enjoined by a Superior Court judge, and the order was largely upheld by the Court of Appeal for this district on June 2.
The chief prosecutor does not want strikes alleged, will not seek the death penalty, opposes trying juveniles as adults, will not seek to block resentencing petitions—and, to the contrary—wants sentences of all inmates who have served 20 years or more to be reexamined—and has ordered deputies not to attend parole hearings,
With more than 83.3 percent of the more than 800 members of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys participating in a plebiscite, there was a 97.9 percent vote in February in support of the recall. Thirty four cities in the county have declared “no confidence” in Gascón.
Administrative Proceedings, Lawsuits
Some deputies are contending in administrative proceedings that there was retaliation against them in the form of promotions being denied because they have opposed Gascón’s policies, and lawsuits have been brought by deputies claiming vindictive actions against them.
An administrative proceeding was brought contesting the lateral transfers to the District Attorney’s Office if three deputy public defenders without the training normally required of new deputies and without their taking an exam. Nonetheless, Gascón recently brought over three more lawyers from the Public Defender’s Office— Lori Harris, Bob Conley, and Dan Kuperberg—to handle resentencing matters.
This was reportedly orchestrated by Prosecution Support Operations Director Diana Teran, herself recruited from the Public Defender’s Office.
Archuleta, Chemerinsky
Should a recall qualify for the ballot, voters will decide if Gascón is to be ousted and, if so, who his successor will be. Rumored to be interested in running are Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Debra Archuleta and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Chemerinsky of the Central District of California.
Neither responded to a request for comment.
Archuleta was unopposed for reelection this year. She ran despite not adapting well to her role as a judge, and at one point, being on the verge of suing the court over her assignment at one point.
Chemerinsky is the son of Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, a Gascón supporter.
It is known that former District Attorney Steve Cooley, a prime backer of the recall, is being urged to run if a recall is certified, but he is remaining mum.
Copyright 2022, Metropolitan News Company